Landon
Young.
Landon
Young.
Kentucky· 6'6"· 310 lb· 5.00s 40
"A 6-6, 310-pound Kentucky left tackle and Lexington native who started 43 games through a torn ACL and a position shuffle — a Round-6 developmental swing tackle bet where length and frame carried the projection."Pre-draft read
He plays offensive tackle from a wide, balanced stance, getting movement at the point of attack when he can time his hands. He shows functional strength anchoring against bull rushers when his pad level is consistent. He wins with length, football IQ, and toughness that shows up on special teams and in short-yardage packages.
His hands are heavy and often late, with the initial punch landing on the shoulder rather than the sternum, which allows speed-to-power rushers to walk him back. While he covers ground in short areas, he struggles to redirect against secondary moves, and long-arm speed rushers can turn his edge because his hips do not open cleanly. In space, he pulls with effort over range, and his climb angles to second-level linebackers are often flat, letting defenders cross his face.
This tackle project is best utilized in a gap/duo power run game where he can operate in a phone booth, get his hands on defenders, and drive them off the ball in a vertical set.
Initially a swing tackle who can contribute to short-yardage and goal-line packages as a run-blocking specialist, with a ceiling as a developmental right tackle or a scheme-specific left tackle.
He would struggle immensely in a spread RPO or Air Raid scheme that asks him to consistently protect an isolated edge in true drop-back pass sets.
Landon Young is a tough, high-IQ run-blocking specialist who brings positional flexibility and experience in a downhill power scheme, but with athletic limitations that cap his ceiling in pass protection.
2021 NFL Draft Prospect: Landon Young
Pre-draft breakdown of Young's Kentucky tape at left tackle: pass-set mechanics, hand usage and gap-scheme run blocking.
Landon Young at the College Football Awards
Senior-year interview covering the ACL rehab, his role as Kentucky's protection communicator, and the pre-draft process.
Landon Young on Saints offensive line injuries
Post-practice media availability from his Saints tenure, discussing swing-tackle duties and the NFC South rivalry.
Young profiles as a swing option, more comfortable in gap and duo run concepts than protecting an edge in true drop-back sets. He offers legitimate tackle length, which allows him to survive at left tackle in a run-first scheme, but he projects as a swing tackle or right-side developmental player. A team is buying his durability, football character, and coachable frame.
Young was a four-year starter, logging 43 career starts, mostly at left tackle against SEC competition. He rebuilt himself into an SEC-caliber player after an early ACL tear. His best flashes came in gap and duo schemes where he could execute a vertical set and finish blocks through the whistle. He also handled protection calls and rarely got caught guessing on line movement.
Pre-draft, his average athleticism was a concern; his tape showed a mauler with tight-hipped pass sets. His 5.00-flat forty confirmed these observations. Despite a mid-Day 3 consensus grade, which priced in his medical history, he was selected in the sixth round.
- 01
Tackle Length
Has legitimate tackle length, which allows playing at left tackle in a run-first scheme, surviving battles.
- 02
Play Strength
Functional strength anchoring against bull rushers when his pad level is consistent, preventing penetration.
- 03
Football IQ
Handled protection calls at left tackle, rarely caught guessing on line movement.
- 04
Finishes Blocks
Best flashes came in gap and duo schemes where he could execute a vertical set and finish blocks through the whistle.
- 05
Durability and Character
A team is buying his durability, football character, and coachable frame, rebuilding himself after an early ACL tear.
- 01
Punch Placement
Hands are heavy and often late, with the initial punch landing on the shoulder rather than the sternum.
- 02
Redirection
Struggles to redirect against secondary moves, allowing rushers to get an angle late in the down.
- 03
Hip Mobility
Long-arm speed rushers can turn his edge because his hips do not open cleanly, compromising his base.
- 04
Second-Level Blocking
Climb angles to second-level linebackers are often flat, letting defenders cross his face in space.
— — — positional median (p50)
- 40 yd
- 5.00sp50
- Vertical
- 30.5inp50
- Broad jump
- 108inp50
- Three-cone
- 7.70sp50
- Shuttle
- 4.89sp50
- Bench
- 34repp50
| Yr | Team | G |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Kentucky | 12 |
| 2017 | Kentucky | 13 |
| 2018 | Kentucky | 1 |
| 2019 | Kentucky | 13 |
| 2020 | Kentucky | 11 |
| Career | — | 50 |
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
Prior Saints Day-3 tackle project who cycled between the active roster and practice squad without carving out a lasting role; near-identical archetype and career shape.
Long, tough swing tackle who parlayed frame and pro habits into an eight-year backup career across four teams — the realistic ceiling for Young's athletic profile.
Long-armed developmental tackle whose combine athleticism concerns and knee issues capped him as a rotational body — the injury-shaped downside outcome.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
Pre-draft context. A hometown legend at Lafayette High in Lexington and a top-100 national recruit, Landon Young stayed home and became one of the most durable linemen of the Mark Stoops era. He tore his ACL in the spring of 2018, redshirted, and returned to log 43 career starts across four seasons — mostly at left tackle, with an SEC-veteran senior year in 2020 protecting Terry Wilson and paving for Chris Rodriguez Jr. He measured a legitimate 6-6, 310 pounds with long limbs but ran a plodding 5.00-flat forty at his Kentucky pro day with a 30.5-inch vertical, a 108-inch broad, a 7.70 three-cone and a 4.89 short shuttle. He did not receive an NFL Combine invite in the COVID-shortened 2021 cycle, so no RAS was ever generated.
NFL fit — New Orleans Saints. Players with responsibilities for offensive line development in New Orleans, during the Landry Sekou–Cesar Ruiz era, spent time stockpiling developmental linemen behind Terron Armstead and Ryan Ramczyk, and Young was drafted as a swing-tackle project. He spent his rookie year on the active roster as a game-day inactive, played sparingly in 2022 after Armstead's departure freed reps, and cycled between the active roster and practice squad through changes in team leadership and offensive play calling. He never won a starting job, appeared in fewer than 15 career games, and was released in the 2024 preseason before catching on as a practice-squad body elsewhere.
Retrospective. A classic Round-6 developmental tackle outcome: the frame and pedigree bought him three roster years and a piece of an NFC South cycle, but the athletic ceiling scouts flagged pre-draft — heavy feet, tight hips, limited recovery — capped him as a depth swing without a scheme-specific path to starts.