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Draftanomics
Prospect dossier

Bryce Young

EDGE · Notre Dame · 2027 NFL Draft class

Limited public coverage1 contributing source·Board as of August 31, 2026
Draftanomics scouting
Preseason edition · August 23, 20265 min read

Master scouting report

His 2026 evaluation should begin with whether he can win a full-time role and turn an impressive high-school profile into repeatable college disruption.

By Draftanomics · Sources & edition · Print report

01Experience And Production

Notre Dame credits him with 20 tackles, two sacks, two tackles for loss and three pass breakups. He started the opener at Miami but remained part of a veteran rotation, so the current résumé establishes developmental promise rather than sustained college impact.

02Frame And Development

Notre Dame currently lists Young at 6-foot-6 and 260 pounds, down from the 271-pound listing that appeared on the prior roster. That is unusual length for an edge defender, but the changing weight makes it premature to define his finished body type or ideal front.

03Movement And Range

Irish Sports Daily's Jamie Uyeyama described Young as unusually coordinated for a player with his dimensions and highlighted the closing burst and pursuit effort on his high-school film. Sports Illustrated recruiting analyst Bryan Driskell likewise saw the length, athleticism and projected explosiveness to play Notre Dame's field-end role. Those evaluations explain the appeal, but they predate almost all of his college snaps and should be tested against a much larger 2026 workload.

04Pass Rush Foundation

The high-school profile showed a long athlete capable of eating space quickly, while the college box score has not yet established a dependable NFL rush trait. His three pass breakups are a useful reminder that length can affect a pass play even when he does not reach the quarterback.

05Hands And Power

Driskell wrote that Young could generate force with his hands when his technique was right, but also called his coordination and consistency unfinished. That distinction matters more than the frame alone: long arms create the chance to control first contact, not proof that he already converts length into power. The 2026 film needs to show whether he can separate from college tackles, keep his pads under control and prevent blockers from living inside his chest.

06Rush Plan And Counters

Public college scouting has not yet established Young's preferred pass-rush move or the counter he trusts after a tackle stops the first path. His modest college production makes it especially important not to fill that gap with assumptions drawn from his recruiting ranking. A legitimate draft rise would include sacks created in more than one way: winning the corner, converting speed to power and crossing a tackle's face when the outside lane disappears.

07Run Defense

Young's size and high-school tackle production suggest the tools to become more than a passing-down rusher, but his one-start college sample does not prove he can set an edge every week. He must show that he can recognize down blocks, maintain outside leverage and disengage without being widened out of the run fit. How he handles heavier tackles and tight-end combinations will help determine whether he can play early downs or begins as a sub-package defender.

08Role And Versatility

Notre Dame recruited Young for its field-end position, where length and range matter against both the run and pass. That points toward an NFL role as a stand-up or hand-down edge in an even or multiple front, not an interior projection based solely on his father's career. His current body, alignment distribution and 2026 responsibilities will provide better evidence than a speculative position switch.

09Draft Range And Disagreement

Young is eligible for the 2027 draft after his junior season, but returning for 2027 may be sensible if he remains a rotational player.

10Football Background

Young arrived as a national recruit after recording 191 tackles, 17 sacks and five forced fumbles in high school. Notre Dame's bio also lists National Honor Society and Latin Honor Society membership; his mother, Kristin, competed in track at Notre Dame, and his father starred for the Irish before his NFL career. The background supports athletic and academic preparedness, but the football evaluation must rest on Young's own 2026 performance.

The case for the player

Strengths

  • A 6-foot-6 frame and exceptional length give Young a valuable physical starting point on the edge.

  • Recruiting evaluators consistently identified his coordination, closing burst and pursuit range as unusual for his size.

  • Fourteen sacks and 18 tackles for loss as a high-school senior show that the traits once produced disruptive results.

  • He gained developmental snaps in 12 games within a veteran Notre Dame defensive-line rotation.

  • His age, remaining eligibility and limited starting experience leave substantial room for improvement.

The questions that remain

Concerns

  • The current public record does not establish a reliable primary rush move or counter.

  • His ability to turn exceptional length into separation and edge-setting power remains unproven at college scale.

  • A changing listed weight leaves his eventual body type and front fit unsettled.

  • Most detailed trait evaluations are from high school, so a strong 2026 projection cannot substitute for current performance.

Building the fit

NFL role and scheme fit

Keep Young on the edge in an even or multiple front while his college role becomes clearer. His length and projected range could work from a two-point stance or with his hand down, and a defense can widen him on passing downs to test his ability to threaten the corner. He should not be reduced inside merely because his father became an NFL defensive tackle. Until Young proves he can anchor and disengage against full-time blockers, a rotational edge role is the responsible starting point.

The Draftanomics view

Bottom line

Young is a developmental 2027 name, not a finished draft prospect. A genuine breakout requires a starting job, consistent edge defense and a pass-rush plan that produces against quality tackles. If that arrives in 2026, his length and movement could move him into the draft; if it does not, another season at Notre Dame would be the more credible path.

Sources & edition

The Draftanomics assessment, synthesized from attributed reporting. Role and development language expresses scouting opinion.

Original analysis through August 23, 2026. Restoration reviewed September 6, 2026; this is not an in-season update. No new Draftanomics all-22 review is included.

9 original sentences are omitted pending further evidence or source-use review. The remaining wording is preserved. Source links support the assessment; they do not represent independent votes or permission to reproduce an article.

View the 3 referenced sources
  • Bryce Young - Football 2026-27 - Notre Dame Fighting Irish - Official Athletics WebsiteNotre Dame Athletics

    Notre Dame records 12 games and one start in 2025, with 20 tackles, two tackles for loss, two sacks and three pass breakups. In 2024 he played all 16 games, with 23 tackles, 1.5 sacks and three blocked kicks. The current 6-foot-6, 260-pound listing differs from the earlier 6-foot-7, 271-pound entry. His high-school record includes 191 career tackles and 17 sacks, with 14 sacks and 18 tackles for loss in his final year, plus academic honors and his parents’ athletic background.

  • Film Don't Lie | Bryce Young | Irish Sports DailyJamie Uyeyama · April 29, 2023

    Length, twitch, reactive lateral movement, closing burst, effort and flashes of strength, with an undeveloped rush plan and use of length. This is explicitly a 2023 high-school evaluation, not evidence of finished college technique.

  • Notre Dame Commit Profile: Defensive End Bryce YoungBryan Driskell · April 30, 2023

    A long frame, powerful hands when coordinated, developing body control and explosive potential for a field-end role. Driskell describes an unfinished player. This is a historical recruiting evaluation, not a new film review.

Read statement references

Every passage remains linked to its supporting sources. Open a section to inspect the assessment and its evidence.

Sources for the evaluation
  1. House assessment

    His 2026 evaluation should begin with whether he can win a full-time role and turn an impressive high-school profile into repeatable college disruption.

Sources for experience and production
  1. House assessment

    Notre Dame credits him with 20 tackles, two sacks, two tackles for loss and three pass breakups.

  2. House assessment

    He started the opener at Miami but remained part of a veteran rotation, so the current résumé establishes developmental promise rather than sustained college impact.

Sources for frame and development
  1. House assessment

    Notre Dame currently lists Young at 6-foot-6 and 260 pounds, down from the 271-pound listing that appeared on the prior roster.

  2. House assessment

    That is unusual length for an edge defender, but the changing weight makes it premature to define his finished body type or ideal front.

Sources for movement and range
  1. House assessment

    Irish Sports Daily's Jamie Uyeyama described Young as unusually coordinated for a player with his dimensions and highlighted the closing burst and pursuit effort on his high-school film.

  2. House assessment

    Sports Illustrated recruiting analyst Bryan Driskell likewise saw the length, athleticism and projected explosiveness to play Notre Dame's field-end role.

  3. House assessment

    Those evaluations explain the appeal, but they predate almost all of his college snaps and should be tested against a much larger 2026 workload.

Sources for pass rush foundation
  1. House assessment

    The high-school profile showed a long athlete capable of eating space quickly, while the college box score has not yet established a dependable NFL rush trait.

  2. House assessment

    His three pass breakups are a useful reminder that length can affect a pass play even when he does not reach the quarterback.

Sources for hands and power
  1. House assessment

    Driskell wrote that Young could generate force with his hands when his technique was right, but also called his coordination and consistency unfinished.

  2. House assessment

    That distinction matters more than the frame alone: long arms create the chance to control first contact, not proof that he already converts length into power.

  3. House assessment

    The 2026 film needs to show whether he can separate from college tackles, keep his pads under control and prevent blockers from living inside his chest.

Sources for rush plan and counters
  1. House assessment

    Public college scouting has not yet established Young's preferred pass-rush move or the counter he trusts after a tackle stops the first path.

  2. House assessment

    His modest college production makes it especially important not to fill that gap with assumptions drawn from his recruiting ranking.

  3. House assessment

    A legitimate draft rise would include sacks created in more than one way: winning the corner, converting speed to power and crossing a tackle's face when the outside lane disappears.

Sources for run defense
  1. House assessment

    Young's size and high-school tackle production suggest the tools to become more than a passing-down rusher, but his one-start college sample does not prove he can set an edge every week.

  2. House assessment

    He must show that he can recognize down blocks, maintain outside leverage and disengage without being widened out of the run fit.

  3. House assessment

    How he handles heavier tackles and tight-end combinations will help determine whether he can play early downs or begins as a sub-package defender.

Sources for role and versatility
  1. House assessment

    Notre Dame recruited Young for its field-end position, where length and range matter against both the run and pass.

  2. House assessment

    That points toward an NFL role as a stand-up or hand-down edge in an even or multiple front, not an interior projection based solely on his father's career.

  3. House assessment

    His current body, alignment distribution and 2026 responsibilities will provide better evidence than a speculative position switch.

Sources for draft range and disagreement
  1. House assessment

    Young is eligible for the 2027 draft after his junior season, but returning for 2027 may be sensible if he remains a rotational player.

Sources for football background
  1. House assessment

    Young arrived as a national recruit after recording 191 tackles, 17 sacks and five forced fumbles in high school.

  2. House assessment

    Notre Dame's bio also lists National Honor Society and Latin Honor Society membership; his mother, Kristin, competed in track at Notre Dame, and his father starred for the Irish before his NFL career.

  3. House assessment

    The background supports athletic and academic preparedness, but the football evaluation must rest on Young's own 2026 performance.

Sources for strength
  1. House assessment

    A 6-foot-6 frame and exceptional length give Young a valuable physical starting point on the edge.

Sources for strength
  1. House assessment

    Recruiting evaluators consistently identified his coordination, closing burst and pursuit range as unusual for his size.

Sources for strength
  1. House assessment

    Fourteen sacks and 18 tackles for loss as a high-school senior show that the traits once produced disruptive results.

Sources for strength
  1. House assessment

    He gained developmental snaps in 12 games within a veteran Notre Dame defensive-line rotation.

Sources for strength
  1. House assessment

    His age, remaining eligibility and limited starting experience leave substantial room for improvement.

Sources for concern
  1. House assessment

    The current public record does not establish a reliable primary rush move or counter.

Sources for concern
  1. House assessment

    His ability to turn exceptional length into separation and edge-setting power remains unproven at college scale.

Sources for concern
  1. House assessment

    A changing listed weight leaves his eventual body type and front fit unsettled.

Sources for concern
  1. House assessment

    Most detailed trait evaluations are from high school, so a strong 2026 projection cannot substitute for current performance.

Sources for nfl role and scheme fit
  1. House assessment

    Keep Young on the edge in an even or multiple front while his college role becomes clearer.

  2. House assessment

    His length and projected range could work from a two-point stance or with his hand down, and a defense can widen him on passing downs to test his ability to threaten the corner.

  3. House assessment

    He should not be reduced inside merely because his father became an NFL defensive tackle.

  4. House assessment

    Until Young proves he can anchor and disengage against full-time blockers, a rotational edge role is the responsible starting point.

Sources for bottom line
  1. House assessment

    Young is a developmental 2027 name, not a finished draft prospect.

  2. House assessment

    A genuine breakout requires a starting job, consistent edge defense and a pass-rush plan that produces against quality tackles.

  3. House assessment

    If that arrives in 2026, his length and movement could move him into the draft; if it does not, another season at Notre Dame would be the more credible path.

College record & draft context

College production, measurables, experience, and the prospect's place on the sealed Public Draft Board.

Public Draft Board

Limited public coverage

Not enough sources for a consensus rank. 1 of the 3 contributing public sources required for a numbered rank.

No overall rank, position rank, or movement is assigned.

Sealed snapshot as of August 31, 2026 · equal-weight aggregation of public boards, minimum 3 sources for a rank · The Public Draft Board

College production

Defense
StatisticSeason 2024
Total tackles23
Solo tackles14
Tackles for loss3
Sacks1.5
Passes defended0
QB hurries2
Defensive TD0

Seasons of evidence: 1. Games played, snap counts, and usage shares are not in the retained data. An em dash means the value is not in the dataset, not zero.

Evidence notes

  • The retained data contains one season of defense production (2024).
  • The newest college season in the retained data is 2025; the 2026 season is not yet included.
  • No verified athletic testing is included in the sealed dataset for this prospect.
  • Public-source coverage is limited to 1 contributing board, so no consensus rank is assigned.

Each note restates a displayed fact. None is a forecast of NFL performance.

Experience and measurements

Listed height
6'6"
Listed weight
260 lb
Class
Junior
Age
Not in dataset
Recorded school
Notre Dame
Former school
Not in dataset
Hometown
Charlotte, NC
Jersey
#95
Recruiting stars
4-star
Recruiting rank
#73 nationally

"Not in dataset" means the value is absent from the sealed dossier dataset, not that it does not exist.

Athletic testing

Not included in the sealed dataset. No combine, pro-day, or RAS value is retained for the 2027 class; absence here does not mean no testing has taken place.

Listed roster height and weight (CollegeFootballData); no verified athletic testing is retained. Bio captured August 29, 2026.

Historical comparisons

Historical profile comparisons are being rebuilt.

Sources and methodology

  • Retained bio and measurements: Draftanomics prospect ingest (CollegeFootballData rosters and recruiting), retained seed data/seed/prospects_upcoming_full.parquet.
  • Retained college production: CollegeFootballData season statistics via the retained player cross-reference; position-relevant categories only; all-zero category rows dropped.
  • Age: unavailable — no birth date or age is retained for the 2027 class.
  • Transfer history: not retained — the page shows the current school and, where the frozen id names a different school, the former school.
  • Public Draft Board: sealed snapshot as of August 31, 2026; per-source ranks are not published under the aggregate-only source policy.

Board methodologyDossier methodologyResearch status

Board position reflects aggregated public opinion; the scouting report is a separate editorial assessment.