Landon Young 2021 NFL Draft Overview
Position: Offensive tackle
Height: 6’6”
Weight: 310 pounds
School: University of Kentucky
Pro Day Results
40-yard Dash: 5.18 seconds
Vertical Jump: 30.5”
Broad Jump: nine feet
Bench Press: 34 reps
Arm Length: 34″
3-Cone Drill: 7.7 seconds
Short-Shuttle: 4.89 seconds
Landon Young 2021 NFL Draft Profile
Landon Young was an extremely sought after offensive tackle recruit coming out of Lafayette High School in Lexington, KY. He was a four-star recruit and the number six overall offensive tackle in the 2016 class. He chose to play at Kentucky over the likes of Alabama, Ohio State, and Miami. As a true freshman, he wasn’t a starter but he was the top backup at both offensive tackle spots. He accrued 27 knockdown blocks on the season, which shows how dominant he was even as a true freshman. Young began the 2017 season as a top backup as well for the first six games but then he was inserted into the starting lineup at left tackle for the final six games. He was beginning to look like one of the top offensive tackles in the SEC. Unfortunately, as a junior in 2018 he suffered a knee injury during fall camp so he redshirted to save the year of eligibility. He came back looking stronger than ever in 2019 and 2020. He started all 24 games over his final two seasons at left tackle and was named All-SEC in both campaigns as well.
Young does a lot of good things, but he doesn’t do a lot great things. When you watch him on film he shows strength, toughness, and grit. Yes these are all traits of a great offensive lineman, but you want to see more technical prowess from a former top offensive line recruit. He is a naturally good run blocker due to his overwhelming size and strength, but he sometimes plays too high and stops his feet on contact. His upper body strength usually helps him recover in these situations by being able to steer the defender away from the run lane. He also has extremely strong and “heavy” hands. If he lands his punch in the right area on the opponent, it’s game over.
His pass sets are adequate enough because he does a good job of covering a lot of ground with his kick slides. He doesn’t have the quickest feet in the world, but as long as he gets depth and space, he is able to mirror the defender and block them effectively. On the other hand, he can be beat by speed rushers off the edge who can close the gap quickly as well. Though he shows a lot of potential and meets all of the height/weight requirements, he is going to need a lot of coaching in order to be successful in the NFL.
Strengths
- Adequate overall athlete;
- Strong hands;
- Good arm length;
- Great run blocker;
- Creates blocking angles;
- Efficiently seals defenders out of run lanes;
- Shows great play strength and nasty streak to finish blocks;
- Effective initial punch.
Weaknesses
- Occasionally plays too high;
- Waist bender at times;
- Looks unpolished in a lot of areas;
- Has a hard time sinking his hips to anchor.
NFL Comparison: Zach Banner
Projection: sixth or seventh round
Teams With Need At Position: Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Chicago Bears, Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings, Los Angeles Chargers, Denver Broncos, New York Giants, Pittsburgh Steelers, Indianapolis Colts
Bottom Line On Landon Young
Landon Young has all of the physical tools to be a decent NFL player. He is a perfect developmental offensive lineman for a team who is looking to pick up a guy late in the draft. If a team can afford to let him sit and learn for a few seasons, they might end up finding they have something in Young. It’s hard to see a situation where Young goes earlier than round six or seven.
Main Photo
