Rams 3rd pick, David Long, CB

Recent Forum Topics › Forums › The Rams Huddle › Rams 3rd pick, David Long, CB

Viewing 30 posts - 1 through 30 (of 39 total)
1 2
  • Author
    Posts
  • April 26, 2019 at 10:34 pm #100398
    Avatar photozn
    Moderator

    79. Los Angeles Rams: David Long, CB, Michigan

    The Rams tap into a Los Angeles native add some solid depth to their secondary with Long (5-11, 196), a more steady-than-spectacular, well-rounded cover man.

    April 26, 2019 at 10:36 pm #100399
    Avatar photozn
    Moderator

    https://www.nfl.com/prospects/david-long?id=32194c4f-4e21-1243-8d29-d872277bf4f7

    Player Bio

    The Wolverines grabbed Long out of Los Angeles as a four-star and top-100 national recruit from Loyola High School. While Long played cornerback and was an outstanding receiver in high school, he suited up at corner for Michigan in four games as a true freshman in 2016 (no tackles). He had more of an impact on defense as a sophomore, posting 21 tackles, two for loss, two interceptions, and six pass breakups in 13 starts. Long broke up eight passes in 13 games (all starts) in 2018, also making 17 tackles and intercepting one pass, to earn first-team All-Big Ten honors.

    Analysis
    By Lance Zierlein
    NFL Analyst
    Draft Projection
    Round 3
    NFL Comparison
    J.C. Jackson

    Overview
    Death, taxes and David Long sitting under a receiver’s chin waiting to jam and bully the release – all three are inevitable. He lacks height, length and makeup burst, but it is hard to find tape where those areas came back to haunt him very often. He’s patient from press, stays connected to routes underneath, but may have to adjust to off-man and prove he can withstand vertical challenges against taller targets. He’s not as long, loose or fast as teams like, but he’s a consistent cover man with the talent to find reps early in his career.

    Strengths
    Weather-tested
    Quarterbacks rarely tried him and rarely completed those attempts
    Compact and physical
    Plays with cozy coverage in receiver’s chest underneath
    Strength and footwork to grind through the release
    Plays with excellent focus on the route
    Has speed to pace hip-to-hip downfield
    Parks under opponent’s chin from press
    Patiently waits out release fakes
    Rarely gets over-extended and out of balance
    Quick interchange of routes from short zone
    Tenacious competitor in all phases

    Weaknesses
    Short for an outside cornerback
    May need time to adjust if moved to slot
    Can be stacked by big bodies
    Lacks length to play around opponents and into passing lane
    Doesn’t have big makeup burst to chase
    Could struggle to handle downfield jump balls
    Shorter target to throw over in Cover-2
    Not much tape to gauge ability to survive outside of press
    Teams may view him as scheme-dependent

    April 26, 2019 at 10:40 pm #100401
    Avatar photozn
    Moderator

    April 26, 2019 at 10:41 pm #100402
    Avatar photocanadaram
    Participant

    Ric Serritella Draft Bible:

    14. DAVID LONG | MICHIGAN | #22 | JR | Los Angeles, CA | 02.06.98 (age 21) | 5105 | 196 | SR BOWL | 4th RD

    COMBINE 5105 196 3078 0958 76.125 4.45 2.62 1.57 39.5 10ā€™0 3.97 6.45 15

    OUTLOOK: It isn’t often that a highly touted recruit out of Los Angeles who earned First Team all-conferences honor at Michigan can accurately claim to be nationally underrated but that might be the case with Long. He earned “just” third team accolades from Big Ten media members but was voted to the top squad by league coaches in 2018, prior to the talented junior cornerback announcing his plans to skip his senior season and enter the 2019 NFL draft. Long signed with Michigan as a celebrated four-star recruit. Long is a confident cover corner whose ideal blend of size and quickness has allowed him to shut down opponents the past two seasons. NFL teams will have to gauge how much the Wolverines’ vaunted pass rush had to do with Long’s success but the traits are there to project him as a top 100 pick.

    PROS: Good looking athlete on the hoof with the size and athleticism combination to handle man to man coverage duties against a variety of targets. Possesses a well-built frame with good overall muscular development, including the size and strength to match up against bigger receivers, as well as very good balance and lateral agility to handle smaller, quicker pass-catchers. Moved, at times, to shadow featured targets, including lining up opposite tight ends in the slot (Notre Dame). Quickness is the key term with Long, accurately describing his reactions to the ball being thrown, his hands to make plays on it, as well as his feet. Shows excellent initial lateral agility to disrupt the timing of receivers off the line of scrimmage, using his feet to shadow pass-catchers rather than relying on an initial jam.

    CONS: Too willing to let others do the dirty work, recording just 16 career assisted tackles (including seven in 2018) over his college career. Prone to standing just outside of the pile. Doesn’t back down from blocking wide receivers but fails to take the fight to them, absorbing rather than initiating the contact and too often making tackles of secondary ball-carriers only when they’ve come to him. Too often steers ball-carriers toward the sideline, allowing it to make the tackle. May prove more quick than fast, showing good but not elite speed on deep routes.

    April 26, 2019 at 10:43 pm #100403
    Avatar photozn
    Moderator

    jrry32

    While he’s on the small side at 5’11” 196, Long blew up at the Combine showing speed, explosiveness, and elite agility. At Michigan, Long barely gave up anything during his career. He’s a naturally sticky cover CB who smothers routes from press coverage. However, Michigan had him almost entirely play press coverage during his time there, so there’s not a lot of scheme diversity here. Long is very scrappy and physical, but he needs to dial back some of the grabbiness, as the NFL is less forgiving of that than college. All in all, he’s a kid who will drive WRs absolutely crazy as a press CB and has the ability to play in the slot or on the boundary. My comparison for him is Desmond Trufant.

    April 26, 2019 at 10:48 pm #100405
    Avatar photoBilly_T
    Participant

    I don’t remember seeing him play, but likely watched him a time or two without focusing, etc. As a Maryland fan, Michigan is in the picture.

    He tested off the charts when it comes to the short shuttle and 3-cone, for whatever that’s worth, and his vert is excellent. Fast in the 40, too, at 4.45.

    To the degree the testing tells us anything, he’s jitterbug quick. Should be excellent in the slot, and probably would have done a nice job on Edelman.

    Had excellent grades in school as well, and is another young player. Just turned 21 this past February.

    April 26, 2019 at 10:57 pm #100408
    Avatar photozn
    Moderator

    azramfan

    Guy was crazy productive.

    Dude only allowed 18 Completions in 3 years!

    April 26, 2019 at 11:11 pm #100410
    Avatar photocanadaram
    Participant

    From Ourlads

    One year full time starter from Los Angeles, CA. Saw significant playing time in sub packages in his first two years in Ann Arbor. Has experience in zone and mind but is at his best in press lock down corner. He will occasionally play off versus some formations and has some hard corner Cover 2 work but was most often found lined up in press ready to strike and jam a receiver off the line. He was extremely effective with two and off-hand jam to disrupt routes at the snap. Sudden foot quickness reacting to cuts. Very sticking or cutting off or mirroring route breaks to the point that he was rarely targeted. You have to roll a lot of video to see passes in his area. Stays in phase on the vertical routes and can lock out on the sideline. Teams tried to scheme with crossing routes, tight alignments, and motions to work his side. He did a nice job working through crossing routes and slants. Limited in zone coverage but has displayed ability to read patterns in short underneath routes. Battles in run support and can lock out a stalk block with knee bend. Tackles well in space coming off of a block. Plays with toughness. At times will give up leverage at the line but is usually quick to recover. Has limited zone exposure so will have to develop in that area. May project to slot corner. 2018 Stats: 17 T, 8 PBU, 1 INT (third/fourth round).

    April 26, 2019 at 11:33 pm #100421
    Avatar photozn
    Moderator

    April 27, 2019 at 6:24 am #100462
    Avatar photozn
    Moderator

    April 27, 2019 at 8:11 am #100471
    Avatar photocanadaram
    Participant
    canadaram wrote:

    Very sticking or cutting off or mirroring route breaks to …

    ā€œ…very STICKY CUTTING OFF OR MIRRORING…ā€

    April 27, 2019 at 11:27 am #100489
    Avatar photozn
    Moderator

    April 27, 2019 at 11:37 am #100490
    Avatar photozn
    Moderator

    April 28, 2019 at 1:17 am #100605
    Avatar photoAgamemnon
    Participant

    Agamemnon

    April 28, 2019 at 1:56 am #100607
    Avatar photozn
    Moderator

    In that last vid one analyst projects Long as a nickel guy, presumably because of his size, but if you look at Wade’s Denver defense (2015-2016), along with Talib, Wade had the all-world CB Chris Harris, who played exceptionally well for him. Harris has the same dimensions as Long and he wasn’t restricted to the nickel role…far from it.

    Chris Harris: 5’10 199
    David Long: 5’11 196

    Of course there are other comparisons but this one points to 2 players associated with Wade, so it’s a direct comparison based on the defensive system. Harris back in Denver was the same dimensions as Long is now, and Harris did everything as an outside starting corner Wade asked him to do.

    …

    April 28, 2019 at 4:48 am #100617
    Avatar photoAgamemnon
    Participant

    Agamemnon

    April 28, 2019 at 7:51 am #100618
    Avatar photoInvaderRam
    Moderator

    this is a pick where the more i read about him the more he grows on me. to the point where he might be my second favorite pick of this draft.

    the only concern i have is reading that he never played zone in college. so there’s uncertainty there. but it also doesn’t mean he can’t do it. just that he was never asked to.

    but everything else is fine. even his short arms.

    April 29, 2019 at 1:56 am #100708
    Avatar photoInvaderRam
    Moderator

    he’s got short arms. but huge hands to snatch those interceptions.

    i love what i read about this guy. really think they got a steal here.

    the secondary should be better than last year.

    April 29, 2019 at 3:07 am #100710
    Avatar photoAgamemnon
    Participant
    InvaderRam wrote:

    this is a pick where the more i read about him the more he grows on me. to the point where he might be my second favorite pick of this draft.

    the only concern i have is reading that he never played zone in college. so thereā€™s uncertainty there. but it also doesnā€™t mean he canā€™t do it. just that he was never asked to.

    but everything else is fine. even his short arms.

    I think he might be my favorite pick.

    Agamemnon

    April 29, 2019 at 8:53 am #100715
    Avatar photoInvaderRam
    Moderator
    Agamemnon wrote:

    I think he might be my favorite pick.

    i think he might be mine now too.

    April 29, 2019 at 10:36 pm #100763
    Avatar photozn
    Moderator

    ===

    May 1, 2019 at 4:09 am #100810
    Avatar photozn
    Moderator

    4 things to know about Rams CB David Long

    4 things to know about Rams CB David Long

    5th-best time in 3-cone drill since 2000

    Long may not be a big cornerback, but heā€™s quicker than just about any player in the NFL. At the combine this year, he posted an eye-popping time of 6.45 seconds in the three-cone drill. That was by far the best time of any player in Indianapolis, topping the next-best prospect by 0.18 seconds. Itā€™s also the fifth-best time dating back to 2000, which shows how great of a performance that was.

    Additionally, his 20-yard shuttle time of 3.97 seconds was the best at the combine this year. His short-area quickness is rare, to say the least.

    Heā€™s from Los Angeles

    Long is heading back home after spending three years at Michigan. He grew up in L.A. and went to high school there, attending Loyola High School of Los Angeles ā€“ the same school Anthony Barr went to.

    Long originally committed to Stanford in 2015, but he changed his mind four months later after the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. After considering Washington, as well, Long committed to Michigan and joined Jim Harbaughā€™s squad.

    At Loyola, Long was a two-way player, lining up at cornerback and wide receiver. He was the 96th-ranked recruit in the country in 2016 and the eighth-best cornerback.

    Graduated high school with 3.9 GPA

    Long wasnā€™t just a great player in high school, he was also a strong student. Long graduated with an impressive 3.9 GPA, showing just how smart he is in the classroom. The Rams love players who are also intelligent, as evidenced by their selection of Micah Kiser last year, a former ā€œAcademic Heismanā€ winner.

    Was a 2018 All-Big Ten selection

    Long had a terrific 2018 season, earning a first-team All-Big Ten selection for his play on the field. He only had one interception, but he hardly ever allowed receptions in coverage. According to Pro Football Focus, his catch rate was just 29 percent ā€“ the lowest of any corner in the draft.

    Long allowed all of 18 catches on 595 coverage snaps in his entire college career at @UMichFootball #NFLDraft

    Allowing only 18 catches on 595 coverage snaps seems like a pretty good rate and itā€™s part of the reason the Wolverines had an elite defense under Jim Harbaugh.

    May 1, 2019 at 4:15 am #100811
    Avatar photozn
    Moderator

    Just a few highlights from the article on Long I just posted (above).

    5th-best time in 3-cone drill since 2000

    his 20-yard shuttle time of 3.97 seconds was the best at the combine this year.

    his catch rate was just 29 percent ā€“ the lowest of any corner in the draft.

    Long allowed all of 18 catches on 595 coverage snaps in his entire college career

    Holey moley.

    If this guy falls to the 3rd round, I think the Rams should grab him.

    …

    May 1, 2019 at 9:58 am #100816
    Avatar photoZooey
    Moderator
    zn wrote:

    If this guy falls to the 3rd round, I think the Rams should grab him.

    ā€¦

    It’s a head-scratcher, actually. On paper. I don’t know why he dropped. Seems like he’s not “spectacular.”

    Which means…not many INTs?

    May 1, 2019 at 1:04 pm #100822
    Avatar photozn
    Moderator
    Zooey wrote:

    I donā€™t know why he dropped.

    My guess? There were good corners in this draft, and there was a run on corners in round 2 (5 picked) and so someone was bound to slip through that, after teams who were going to take corners had all gotten their guy. It could be that he doesn’t have a lot of INTs as you suggest. I read a guru who thinks that teams may view him as scheme dependent.

    May 1, 2019 at 1:19 pm #100824
    Avatar photozn
    Moderator

    PFF

    Pick 79–Los Angeles Rams ā€“ CB David Long, Michigan

    David Long was our No. 33 overall player on our big board. Long is a press man coverage cornerback that is ready to play from day one. Wade Phillips loves corners who can play man coverage at a high level and the Rams got one of those players in Long.

    Fewest yards allowed per coverage snap at 0.14

    May 1, 2019 at 7:27 pm #100834
    Avatar photozn
    Moderator

    from Steals of the 2019 NFL Draft

    https://www.profootballfocus.com/news/draft-steals-of-the-2019-nfl-draft

    PICK 79 ā€“ DAVID LONG, LOS ANGELES RAMS
    Big Board Rank: 33rd
    Instead of plugging needs, the Rams had the luxury of taking some backups who will be future starters on Day 2. Long allowed only 18 catches his entire college career although heā€™ll have to get up to speed with any sort of off-coverage in the NFL.

    May 1, 2019 at 7:40 pm #100836
    Avatar photoAgamemnon
    Participant

    Agamemnon

    May 1, 2019 at 10:11 pm #100844
    Avatar photozn
    Moderator
    zn wrote:

    Long allowed all of 18 catches on 595 coverage snaps in his entire college career

    Holey moley.

    ..

    Wait. It gets even freakier.

    ..

    alyoshamucci

    In 29 games, Long recorded 38 tackles, two tackles for loss, 17 passes defensed, and three interceptions.

    Long has 18 catches allowed, career. And passes defensed = 17 + 3 INTs is 20 and that is two more than “completions allowed”

    More plays on the ball than completions allowed?

    That’s a crazy stat.

    Like, I knew he was tough from watching, and then I knew he was fast from Indy … but that stat is like throwing more TDs than incompletions in a game, but stretched over your entire career.

    …

    May 2, 2019 at 10:11 am #100856
    Avatar photozn
    Moderator

  • Author
    Posts
Viewing 30 posts - 1 through 30 (of 39 total)
1 2
  • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.

Comments are closed.