Las Vegas Raiders defensive tackle Byron Young gave reporters an assessment of his rookie season on Friday at the NFL team’s training camp: “I wasn’t good enough last year.”

The former Alabama standout also offered his outlook on the 2024 campaign: “That’s not going to be the case this year.”

Young joined the Raiders as the 70th selection in the 2023 NFL Draft. As a rookie, he appeared in six games and played 99 defensive snaps.

“I was drafted, and I kind of felt like I deserved something,” Young said. “But I didn’t, and it took me a second to understand that. And it took me a second to take a step back and say, ‘You know, I got to earn the trust of the coaches. Not only the coaches, but the players that are playing behind me.’”

That understanding joined with improved health and better conditioning account for the defensive lineman’s prediction for this season.

“I feel a lot different,” Young said. “I feel a lot healthier. Last year, I had a lot of stuff going on that a lot of people might not have known about. And at the end of the day, that doesn’t really matter. I’m here for a reason. I’m expected to perform. And last year I couldn’t, so going into this year, I did a lot of things differently.

“I had a lot of chefs working with me. I worked with our nutrition team a lot to get in a much better shape. Worked with a personal trainer the whole offseason. Spent most of my time in Vegas when everybody else was gone, so I feel a lot healthier. I feel in a lot better shape, so I just feel overall a lot better.”

Young said he has seen the changes translate on the field at training camp.

“I feel like everything that I put in over the summer has really paid off,” Young said. “A lot of people have noticed it. A lot of people have told me I’ve improved, but that only makes me want to do more because I’ve done it some, but I haven’t done enough, and I don’t think I’ll ever do enough.”

Young said his first season in the NFL reminded him of his freshman season at Alabama, although in 2019, he played in all 13 games and started five for the Crimson Tide. By 2022, Young was an All-SEC selection and a second-team pick on the American Football Coaches Association’s All-American squad.

“It was very difficult,” Young said. “It took me kind of back to when I was a freshman in college because I kind of went through the same thing then. But it was difficult.

“But it was something I was able to get through with prayer. You know, I’m a big believer in prayer. I’m a big believer that prayer fixes everything. And even if it didn’t fix it, it was happening for a reason, so it did take a lot, but I ended up getting through it.”

Last season, Las Vegas had four interior defensive linemen play more than 500 snaps – Bilal Nichols, John Jenkins, Adam Butler and Jerry Tillery. Jenkins and Butler return for 2024, while Nichols is with the Arizona Cardinals and Tillery with the Minnesota Vikings.

In the offseason, the Raiders signed defensive tackle Christian Wilkins of the Miami Dolphins as a free agent to a four-year, $110 million contract.

“A role for me, man,” Young said about his hopes for 2024. “I just want to be able to go out there. I want to make an impact on the field. I want to make an impact at every game. I want to be seen. And I just want to help this team win.”

Las Vegas begins its three-game preseason schedule on Saturday against the Minnesota Vikings and kicks off its regular-season slate on Sept. 8 against the Los Angeles Chargers.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.