Which of these 7 LA Rams rookies will take a huge step forward in 2024?

III: This rookie should be talked about more

One of the players who really has NFL star potential in my opinion is outside linebacker Byron Young While his first year in the NFL with 8.0 quarterback sacks and 61 tackles is the stuff that would make a seasoned NFL veteran proud, he was simply making his introductions to the NFL. The best is yet to come.

Still, I am mildly surprised that there has not been much said about the team's rookie edge rusher. For a first-year outside linebacker, he had a monster season, and that is true whether he was the first player taken off the board in the 2023 NFL Draft, or the last player. While he did lose the competition for most QB sacks to teammate Kobie Turner (9.0 sacks), he did tie the total put up by All-Pro DL Aaron Donald (8.0 sacks)

Some have discounted his performance as too dependent on the 'Aaron Donald' effect. So let's run some comparisons against some other edge rushers, all of whom were veterans, who played alongside Donald. For this table, years of experience means how long was that player in the NFL when they lined up alongside Aaron Donald. They are:

The career path of edge rushers in the NFL runs a very similar track. Year 2 of their careers almost invariably is a far more productive year for the player than their rookie season. And even as many believe that the front office must acquire pass rusher Brian Burns in the offseason, why isn't more being said over the fact that Byron Young matches Burn in almost all categories except QB hits and TFLs?

I really love the mindset of Byron Young. Unlike many who play the position for the next lucrative contract, Byron Young plays out of a love for the game. You can see it in how hard he makes an effort on each play, and how quickly he closes the distance between himself and the quarterback.

I believe that he can put up 12.0+ QB sacks in 2024. But he will have stiff competition.