[](https://www.joebucsfan.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/YoungByron.png)Five picks before the Bucs drafted edge rusher YaYa Diaby in Round 3 of the 2023 NFL Draft, the Los Angeles Rams selected edge rusher Byron Young out of the University of Tennessee.
Damn those Rams!
Young has nine sacks this season and 24 1/2 in his career. Diaby has four this year and 16 overall.
Young and fellow Rams edge rusher Jared Verse, last year’s NFL Defensive Rookie of the year, are a menacing pass rush tandem the Bucs will face on Sunday night. Verse has 18 quarterback hits this season. That’s more than J.J. Watt or Micah Parsons.
Todd Bowles had a scary analogy about the fierce young Rams rushers this week on his official team radio show.
> “They’re kind of like Houston,” Bowles said, referring to the Bucs facing dominant edge beasts Will Anderson and Danielle Hunter in Week. 2.
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> “They really come off the ball and they collapse the pocket. They really collapse the pocket and they make you feel like you’re under more pressure than you actually are. And they’re nonstop motors. It makes it very tough to deal with.”
Does the biblical commandment to not covet apply to edge rushers? Joe highly doubts it.
Against Houston, Graham Barton was overwhelmed at left tackle and Charlie Heck was manhandled at right tackle when he entered the game for then-injured Luke Goedeke. The Texans’ pass rush was relentless and Baker Mayfield saved the day with late-game magic.
Joe’s seen the Rams a few times this season and consistency is what stands out about their pass rush. And the Rams need it because their secondary is suspect.
Joe hopes Sunday’s Rams pass rush isn’t “like Houston” as Bowles suggested. It shouldn’t be with Goedeke and Tristan Wirfs healthy and playing well.