TribLive is highlighting the top prospects leading up to the 2026 NFL Draft in Pittsburgh. The three-day event is April 23-25.
Zion Young
Position: Defensive end
Height/weight: 6-foot-5¾/262 pounds
College: Missouri
Young has the size and strength to be an edge-setter along with rushing the passer.
The 22-year-old senior led Missouri with 16½ tackles for loss last season. In all, he had 42 tackles, 6½ sacks, two forced fumbles and two pass breakups to earn All-SEC honors.
Young played 46 games with 37 starts over four seasons, the first two at Michigan State.
Draft analyst Lance Zierlein described Young in his NFL.com profile as a “long, well-built edge rusher with the size, strength and temperament engineered for trench battles at the next level.”
Young isn’t a polished pass rusher. Zierlein noted that he has the power to bull rush and drive through blockers “but lacks instincts and variety in his rush approach.”
He made 31 “stops” last season, a stat Pro Football Focus defines as a tackle that constitutes a “failure” for the offense. Among potential first-round edge rushers, only Texas Tech’s David Bailey (40) and Miami’s Rueben Bain Jr. (37) had more.
NFL.com noted Young was arrested for suspicion of DWI in December.
Key stat
28½ — The number of career tackles for loss for Young in four seasons. He had 11½ sacks.
Did you know?
Missouri had a player drafted in the first round in each of the past two years: OT Armand Membou (seventh in 2025) and DE Darius Robinson (27th in 2024).
On draft
Here is a look at where the top NFL Draft analysts rank Young among players at his position and prospects overall:
Draft expert — Edge/Overall
Mel Kiper Jr. — fourth/25th
Daniel Jeremiah — eighth/45th
Todd McShay — fifth/24th
Field Yates — 10th/39th
Quotable
ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. — “He’s not only an edge rusher or a force off the edge, he can be a major factor against the run, sealing the edge as well. He is an imposing physical specimen.”