Despite a heartbreaking loss in Kansas City in a game where most would say the defense let the team down, Ravens fans should continue to be optimistic with this group – especially with the emergence of rookie Linebacker Kenny Young.
Speed is the name of the game in today’s NFL and that’s exactly what Kenny Young gives the Ravens. The 4th Round pick out of UCLA ran a 4.60 40 at the NFL Combine earlier this year, and that 4.6 speed is natural. Young explodes off the screen when you watch the Ravens defense play, and his instincts are off the charts. The speed element that Young brings to the table is unlike any Linebacker the Ravens have had in the past few seasons, and it’s shown from day one.
Coming into camp Young was touted as mainly a special teamer and someone who could rotate through on the defensive side of the ball when possible – he was not at all expected to be a huge contributor, not in his first season with the team at least. Despite all that Young flashed throughout training camp and the preseason, working his way into a role as a prime rotational piece of the Ravens Inside Linebacker core.
In his first NFL game against Buffalo he had a sack and was tied for the team lead in tackles. He followed that up with a 7 tackle game against Cincinnati, then a 10 tackle game against the Broncos.
Young ranks 4th on the team with 48 Total Tackles on the year, sitting behind veterans C.J Mosley, Eric Weddle, and Tony Jefferson. Keep in mind Young has been playing in a rotation with Patrick Onwuasor as well, whom both split time beside starting linebacker C.J Mosley.
That pairing, or the possibility of it, should be what makes Ravens fans excited for years to come. Re-signing C.J Mosley is obviously the first step to creating this duo, but as long as that happens then the sky really is the limit for this pairing. Even if Mosley were to walk from the Ravens and sign elsewhere, Young could easily develop into the full-time “star” Inside linebacker that the Ravens have had with Ray Lewis and now C.J Mosley.
They work best together because they work off of each other’s strengths. Mosley is best as a true inside linebacker – reading and diagnosing plays, and reacting to what his eyes tell him. Young, with his speed and athleticism, can do a bit of everything. He can blitz with force or drop back in coverage and cover an athletic tight end or a running back.
Athletic tight ends, like the one we saw this past weekend (Travis Kelce), is the final hole the Ravens defense needs to patch up for that side of the ball to be complete. Giving Young more playing time along C.J Mosley will certainly help this problem. Allowing Young to fly around, cover, and blitz, while letting Mosley scrap over the top and fill gaps as needed is the final piece to the puzzle for the Ravens defense this season, and would form one of the most dominant Linebacker duos in today’s NFL.