Seattle Seahawks select Cameron Young in 4th round of 2023 NFL Draft

The Seattle Seahawks have drafted former Mississippi State DL Cameron Young with the No. 123 overall pick in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft.

Young, who spent four seasons with the Bulldogs, saw more production each year he was in Starkville. He redshirted his true freshman year after seeing action in one game. His production took a leap in 2019, appearing in eight contests, but finally earned the starting nod at defensive tackle in 2021 as a junior.

He started all 12 games for Missippi State that year, amassing 53 tackles, 2.5 for loss, one interception, and two pass breakups. He followed that up by starting all 13 games in 2022 as a senior. He put up 38 tackles, three for loss and one sack. He also chose to play in the ReliaQuest Bowl win over Illinois when some expected him to opt out.

His lone sack of the year came in the 19-10 win over the Illini on Dec. 12. He finished the game with three solo tackles to boot, effectively ending his Mississippi State career on a high note during a very dark time in the program following the death of former head coach Mike Leach.

Before Mississippi State, Young was a three-star recruit, per the On3 Industry Rankings, which is a proprietary algorithm that compiles ratings and rankings from all four primary recruiting media services. He was the No. 1,362-ranked player in the 2018 class, but has built a body of work in four seasons that could see him make a career for himself in the NFL.

What NFL Draft Analysts are saying about Cameron Young

NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein provided the following analysis of Young, offering former Jacksonville Jaguars DL Abry Jones as a historical comparison for the Mississippi State DL.

“Naturally powerful prospect who is able to take on capable challengers and come out in good shape despite playing with an elevated pad level,” Zierlein wrote of Young. “Young plays with early hands and a heavy punch to gain positioning quickly against single blocks. He has the core power and contact balance to force double teams to work.

“Also, he does a nice job of fighting against wash-down blocks and maintaining gap integrity against zone. He has the size, length and strength to become a proficient run defender but offers very little as a pass rusher. While Young will be seen as a natural nose tackle, he could see snaps as a 5-technique as well.”

Young’s strengths include rare arm length for a defensive lineman, has an impressive shed-to-tackle transition and does well against the double team. Zierlein also praised Young’s selflessness on the football field, doing the dirty work in the trenches and allowing his linebackers to clean it up, even if it hinders Young from producing statistically.