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Looking to add depth and competition at the edge positions, the Los Angeles Rams opted to spend one of their four 6th round picks of the 2018 NFL Draft on Louisville’s Trevon Young.
Young has wonderful length but is still trying to regain his previous agility after suffering a hip injury against Texas A&M in the 2015 Music City Bowl. Thankfully, he improved in the second half of 2017 and displayed a disciplined approach of bracketing run plays away from his side. Young has a fairly diverse repertoire of rush moves that help him get to quarterbacks particularly a strong spin move. While Young has ideal size to play outside, he will need to improve his strength to help him shed blockers more effectively.
At the end of day, the Rams took a flyer on Young with hopes that he can eventually be a contributor at the NFL level.
Roster Battle
For now, it seems that EDGE Samson Ebukam and EDGE Matt Longacre have the inside track to start at the two edge positions, but it’s unlikely that either of them has an unbreakable hold on the position yet. Young will have a chance to compete with rookies Ogbonnia Okoronkwo and Justin Lawler (roster preview) to find a place in Defensive Coordinator Wade Phillips’ rotation. It seems likely that two of the three rookies will see a fair share of snaps. We’ll see if there is any separation in that group come August, though returning OLB Ejuan Price will also compete.
Expectations
Young has plenty of gifts to build on.
As a 6th-round pick, he has a legitimate shot to eventually work out, yet he’s far from a shoo-in. For now, we can expect him to stick around in 2018 barring breakout seasons from the guys ahead of him.
Chances of Making Final Roster (6.5/10)
Given the Rams’ current stable of edge rushers, and DE/OLB Morgan Fox’s season ending injury, Young should make the team either via the 53-man roster or the practice squad. Health concerns might be the biggest variable that could affect his chances, but since they picked him it seems that they have an investible level of confidence in his health for now.