Moments after seeing Brandin Echols and Quinton Bohanna be selected in the NFL Draft, offensive tackle Landon Young heard his name called 206th overall by the New Orleans Saints.

Bohanna, Echols and Young each went off the board within 15 picks of one another. Young is the fifth Cat to be selected in the draft, joining the aforementioned two players, linebacker Jamin Davis and cornerback Kelvin Joseph. 

Young played in 49 contests for Kentucky, including 24 consecutive starts at left tackle to end his career. He is one of the stalwart members of the famed Big Blue Wall, developed by former offensive line coach John Schlarman, with whom he and the other linemen each shared a close personal relationship.

He was named a First-Team All-SEC member by the conference’s coaches, Second-Team All-SEC by the Associated Press and Phil Steele, and Third-Team All-SEC Pro Football Focus for his efforts in 2020. ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. spoke on Young’s ability shortly after he was selected.

“Run blocking wise, he has size to effectively move players off the ball,” he said. “[He] needs to sustain pass blocking a little better… [he’s] a really good kid.”

NFL Draft analyst Lance Zierlein lauded Young’s size and strength in his draft profile of the former five-star prospect, while saying he was average athletically.

“[Young] plays with good toughness and can handle physical battles that are in front of him, but his waist-bending and inconsistent base tend to create imbalance through contact,” Zierlein wrote. “He needs to create better block positioning after contact to open running lanes and keep them open. The pass protection fundamentals are good enough… will likely be viewed as a right tackle or could be kicked inside to guard.”