Zion Young Scouting Report

By: Michael Higgins

(Image courtesy of Icon Sportswire/Getty Images)

School: Missouri

Class: Senior

Position: EDGE

HT: 6’6

WT: 262 lbs

Background: Zion Young was a 3-star defensive lineman out of Atlanta, Georgia. Despite being a low 3-star and buried in a class of defensive linemen, he received some national collegiate attention while at Westlake High School. As a senior for Westlake, he tallied 108 tackles and 7.5 sacks on his way to an all-state selection. Zion committed to Michigan State over West Virginia and Missouri.

College: Young played in 20 games for the Spartans, making 11 starts. In his time there, he totaled 47 tackles and 6.5 TFLs. Additionally, Zion was an Academic All-Big 10 selection. After 2 seasons in East Lansing, Young transferred to Missouri ahead of the 2024 campaign. In his first season as a Tiger, he started every game, racking up 42 tackles and 5.5 TFLs. Young had an incredibly productive 2025 with 15 TFLs and 6.5 sacks.

Strengths: Zion Young is a densely built rusher with plenty of muscle on his frame. He is able to get his head down and walk linemen back by using natural pad level and strength in the phone booth. He is a good mover on the line who fires out of his stance with explosiveness. Young has a heavy set of hands that remain active to deconstruct blocks and keep his frame clean. Chip blocks have very little impact on Young’s rush. He powers through contact without being knocked off his rush. Against the run, Young does well to maintain gap integrity and clog rushing lanes.

Weaknesses: Young often lets the offensive lineman into his chest and land the initial strike. Young struggles against the bigger tackles who match his length in the phone booth. Young is not fast in pursuit of the football. When he gets free, his speed is underwhelming. When rushing the passer, he seems to rely too heavily on strength and his bull rush rather than developing a bag of pass rush moves to work around opponents. Due to this, if his rush is stalled, he has trouble establishing a counter rush.

Conclusion: Zion Young is a powerful edge rusher who is a load to deal with for any opponent. He plays with a nice tempo to aid his rush. With that being said, he lacks a pass rushing plan and relies too heavily on his strength and size to win individual matchups. He will need to establish a plan in the NFL if he wants to get in the backfield on a consistent basis.

Best Team Fits: CIN, PHI, BUF

Player Comparison: Jack Sawyer

Player Grade: Round 3 (74.6)