Willie James Young Jr.[1] (born September 19, 1985) is an American former professional football defensive end and linebacker.

He attended Palm Beach Gardens Community High School, where he played basketball and football as a defensive lineman and ran track.

In 2006, he played in all 12 games including five starts and recorded 44 tackles, of which 24 were solo, and five for loss, one pass broken up, five quarterback hurries, and one interception returned 34 yards for a touchdown.

On March 13, 2014, Young signed a three-year, $9 million contract with the Chicago Bears to be a backup behind Lamarr Houston and Jared Allen.

In Week 3, he continued to rush the quarterback with success against the New York Jets, sacking Geno Smith once in the Bears' 27-19 victory.

In Week 4, Willie Young did not notch a sack for the first time in his Bears career, although he did block a Mason Crosby kick.

Unfortunately, the Chicago Bears defensive unit had increased injury and performance issues throughout the year which led to decreased production as a whole.

He recorded a sack in five consecutive games (weeks eleven to fifteen), the third player in franchise history to do so after Steve McMichael and Brian Urlacher.