Seahawks address D-line in 4th with Mississippi State DT Cameron Young

The Seattle Seahawks addressed the trenches with their first fourth-round pick, taking LSU guard Anthony Bradford, then attacked the other side of the line of scrimmage with their second fourth-rounder, taking Mississippi State defensive tackle Cameron Young at No. 123 overall.

Seattle Seahawks Draft Breakdown: A look at every 2023 NFL Draft pick

Young is 6 foot 3 and 304 pounds with 34 1/2-inch arms. He had 11.5 tackles for loss in 42 career games, 24 of which were starts for the Bulldogs.

.@cameron21young doing work 😤

📺: #NFLCombine March 2-5 on @NFLNetwork#HailState🐶 pic.twitter.com/2VrmSIkZD1

— Mississippi State Football (@HailStateFB) March 2, 2023

Young didn’t do much in terms of workout numbers during the draft process, with his only public marks being a 5.1-second 40-yard dash with a 1.8-second 10-yard split.

Here’s what NFL.com draft expert Lance Zierlein’s draft profile said of Young:

Naturally powerful prospect who is able to take on capable challengers and come out in good shape despite playing with an elevated pad level. 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 adds another piece to a reshaped Seahawks defensive front.

Seattle added D-tackle Dre’Mont Jones and reunited with Jarran Reed this offseason after parting ways with Shelby Harris, Poona Ford, Al Woods, L.J. Collier and Quinton Jefferson. The Hawks return edge rushers Uchenna Nwosu, Darrell Taylor and Boye Mafe, and they drafted Auburn outside linebacker Derick Hall in the second round. Seattle also has 2022 fifth-round pick Tyreke Smith coming back after missing his rookie campaign due to a hip injury.

Young will play under defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt, who is entering his second year at that position. He was previously the Seattle Seahawks’ defensive line coach from 2017-21.

2023 Seattle Seahawks draft picks

• First round (5th overall): Illinois CB Devon Witherspoon
• First round (20th overall): Ohio State WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba
• Second round (37th overall): Auburn edge Derick Hall
• Second round (52nd overall): UCLA RB Zach Charbonnet
• Fourth round (108th overall): LSU guard Anthony Bradford
• Fourth round (123rd overall): Mississippi State defensive tackle Cameron Young
• Fifth round (151st overall): Michigan edge Mike Morris
• Fifth round (15th overall): Michigan center Olusegun Oluwatimi
• Sixth round (198th overall): New Mexico safety Jerrick Reed II
• Seventh round (237th overall): Georgia RB Kenny McIntosh

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