Many Browns' fans viewed the signing of veteran free agent Usama Young with little interest and even some skepticism. Fans were aware of the Browns' need at safety and were clamoring for more well-known free agents. Young was a backup DB in New Orleans with limited game experience. Yet Browns' GM Tom Heckert saw potential in Young and the team went out and got him. He is now competing with Mike Adams for the starting Free Safety spot, with the coaching staff hoping he wins the battle.
Background:
Starting his fifth NFL season at age 26, Young is listed at 6'0", and about 200 pounds. Young played his college ball at Kent State. Young, who hales from Maryland, was selected in the 3rd round of the NFL Draft by the Saints. You can hear an interview Young gave shortly after being drafted here.
Young was not invited to the NFL Combine but gave an impressive workout at Kent State's pro day in 2007. Various draft scouting reports can be found here, here, and here. Young was touted as a small-school prospect with good size, speed, and work ethic.
After the 2008 season, Saints' head coach Sean Payton asked Young to make a position switch to safety. Young went all in and accepted the request in earnest. The payoff came during the middle of the Saints' 2009 season. After the Saints started the season with 8 consecutive victories, starter Darren Sharper went down with an injury. Young started the next game in his place against the St. Louis Rams. Young made the play of the game when he picked off a pass in the Saints' end zone and returned it 24 yards. His offense converted the turnover into a touchdown. You can see the play below:
Young saw some playing time in the majority of games in each season in New Orleans, though not as a starter. His career stats can be found here. See video of Young intercepting a deep pass against the Chargers here: http://www.nfl.com/videos/auto/09000d5d81a1102a/Young-INT
But Usama Young may be most well-known for a commercial he and his father starred in prior to the Saints' Superbowl appearance. It was a funny story about Usama's dream to be a pro football player as a child. You can check it out below:
Young is an athletic defensive back in his prime looking for a chance to break out as a starter. He didn't get that chance in New Orleans with established starters already in place. Heckert and Shurmer are giving him his chance. Over the course of his career, he has shown flashes of big play ability and comes equipped with size and speed. Let's hope Young makes the most of this opportunity and becomes a reliable starter for the Browns in 2011.
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