Landon Young NFL Draft 2021: Scouting Report for New Orleans Saints OT

HEIGHT: 6'6⅛"

WEIGHT: 310

POSITIVES

—Above-average play strength with a physical, rugged playing style.

—Strong hands, core strength and lockout to press, strain and displace shaded defenders on inside-zone concepts.

—Solid initial quickness and burst to close space on defenders with his jump set and on the backside of zone to cut them off.

—Does a nice job lining up his target on double-teams to locate the hip and knock the defender over for his guard to overtake.

—Consistently drives his feet and fights to rework his pads and hands onto a block after losing initial leverage.

—Showed noticeable improvement in his pass-protection footwork after a rough game against Georgia in Week 6. 

NEGATIVES

—Adequate range in pass protection that will require help to remedy; prone to opening his hips early, heel-click and struggle to protect his edge against rushers with a legit get-off.

—Takes an extra kick, drifts off his spot and creates a soft inside shoulder when rushers set up their moves using hesitations and stutters.

—Needs to sharpen and tighten up his hand placement; too often is high and off target.

2020 STATISTICS

—Started all 11 games at left tackle.

—Didn't miss an assignment and led the team in knockdowns with 56.

—Team captain.

NOTES

—49 career game appearances with 30 starts, all at left tackle.

—Missed the 2018 season with a torn ACL.

—Former 5-star and top recruit from the state of Kentucky.

—Prolific all-around high school athlete; 2016 state discus title winner and an undefeated state champion wrestler as a senior, won the 2015 state shot put title and named the 2014 Gatorade Kentucky Boys Track and Field Athlete of the Year.

—Heavily involved in the community and was named a captain of the 2019 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team for his impact off the field.

—Graduated with his degree in animal sciences in 2019 and married his longtime girlfriend in 2020.

OVERALL

Young is a two-and-a-half-year starter at left tackle for the Wildcats' multiple-run scheme. He has a distinguished background as a former 5-star tackle with a state championship in wrestling, discus and the shot put. Young has a sturdy, well-rounded build with good play strength and solid athletic ability.

He excels in pass protection when he can get his hands on rushers quickly and use his girth and sticky hands to grind rushers to a halt. As a run-blocker, Young is stout at the point of attack to create stalemates, has the leg drive to displace defenders on angle blocks and boasts solid initial quickness to cut off the backside on zone runs.

Young gets into trouble against quality speed-rushers off the edge that win with get-off and can set up their moves, causing him to open his hips early, heel-click in an attempt to protect his edge and drift/overset against hesitations and stutters. This will likely keep Young at right tackle if he can have persistent schemed help on obvious passing downs or force a move inside.

Young has the functional strength, physicality, body control and athletic ability to provide quality depth while he learns a new position (he was exclusively a left tackle in college) with spot-starter potential within his first few seasons.

GRADE: 7.0/10 (Early Round 5)

OVERALL RANK: 163/300

POSITION RANK: OT15

PRO COMPARISON: David Edwards 

Written by B/R NFL Scout Brandon Thorn