jrry32

I see why McVay values Henderson highly. He looked insanely good running outside-zone plays in college. He’s quick to the corner, and when he sees the crease, he plants his foot and explodes. He rips off big chunks with ease. He has instant acceleration.

He’s a compact runner with a well-built frame at 5’8″ 208 pounds. He doesn’t have a lot of elusiveness, so he’s a guy who won’t create something out of nothing if you allow penetration. However, when he gets moving, he’s not easy to tackle. He has impressive contact balance when moving. When you combine that with his speed, him being a small target, and his physicality, he’ll break more tackles than you expect. Henderson also finishes runs with authority when he gets going. My one big complaint with him as a runner is that I don’t think he’s patient enough. He doesn’t anticipate what will happen and then use that to create seams. He sees it and goes instead of creating it himself (like elite runners can).

In the passing game, he’s a very sure-handed player with speed to burn. He’ll have to get a better feel for route running and attacking coverages. He also needs to improve as a blocker. He has the strength, frame, and physicality, but the developed skill isn’t there.

All in all, I understand why they chose Henderson. He fits the scheme well.

…

Small note.

Taylor Rapp is a dual USA/Canadian citizen of Chinese ancestry.

Myles Simmons@MylesASimmons
Les Snead on S Taylor Rapp: “He’s been one of our favorite football players in this draft.”

OK, few things from the #LARams presser with GM Les Snead and HC Sean McVay upcoming… First thing I thought was pretty interesting is how McVay talked about the versatility that Rapp brings at S. Said Rapp can likely get on the field in certain packages with Weddle/Johnson.

Obviously, #LARams drafted a RB tonight. But McVay/Snead said that has more to do with Henderson’s specific skillset as something they wanted to add to the O than anything to do with Gurley/his knee. Likened it to how LA signed Lance Dunbar back in 17, but that didn’t work out

With Henderson — who averaged *8.9 yards per carry* (!) in his last two seasons — McVay said LA can probably use some more personnel groupings on O. Henderson has the ability to split out wide, and McVay touted the ability he has with his hands to catch.

On OL Bobby Evans, he likely comes in as Noteboom did last year — with the chance to back up each of #LARams non-center OL positions. He played LT last year, but played RT before. Rams like his versatility and his ability to get up to the second level on his blocks.

SeattleRams@seattlerams_nfl
You all know how I feel about my favorite Ram, @CooperKupp well Taylor Rapp is going to be the next jersey I buy… That’s how much I loved watching him here at the UW!!

Ryan Kartje@Ryan_Kartje
Rams GM Les Snead said they didn’t think Taylor Rapp would last as long as he did. Sounds like they thought of him as a 1st-round prospect.

Vincent Bonsignore@VinnyBonsignore
As an #NFL G.M. told me last night, the deep defensive line pass rush group pushed some really good cornerbacks into day two of the draft. There’s some excellent value picks out there for teams to take advantage of today.

zn wrote:

Here’s Washington’s Chris Thompson. McVay had him in 2016.

They tried reproducing CT with Dunbar in 2017. That didn’t work.

Speak of the devil.

—

Ryan Kartje@Ryan_Kartje
Les Snead said the Rams view new RB Darrell Henderson as a “change-of-pace” back. Rams tried to fit Lance Dunbar in that role before, and McVay has been looking for a Chris Thompson-like back ever since.

PA Ram wrote:

It’s a warm body for the offensive line. I’ll take it. Hopefully he becomes a solid player. Now pick more.

I will say this about Kromer. He has a long history of making something out of guards, including college tackles converted to guard.

It’s actually a quite exceptional history if you dive into it.

If they trade up for a guy Kromer likes, I am inclined to assume the best.

…

PFF LA Rams@PFF_Rams

OT Bobby Evans from Oklahoma is the last pick for the #Rams today! He was our 12th ranked OT in the draft this year, 107th on our Top-250 Big Board

Got to chat with CBs coach Aubrey Pleasant just after the #LARams selected David Long at No. 79, and Pleasant is very excited to bring him in. ⬇️⬇️ pic.twitter.com/BaDv9WH1wp

— Myles Simmons (@MylesASimmons) April 27, 2019

Here’s Washington’s Chris Thompson. McVay had him in 2016.

They tried reproducing CT with Dunbar in 2017. That didn’t work.

I would imagine Henderson could be used in ways similar to how McVay used Thompson.

azramfan

Guy was crazy productive.

Dude only allowed 18 Completions in 3 years!

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.

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

JackPMiller wrote:

Not sold on the pick unless Gurley’s career is over. We need help on the interior OLine and NT, before getting an RB.

If they are going to manage his touches–and they say they will—they need a 3rd option.

Right now the Rams have 2 backs who were hurt last year. Brown and Gurley.

To my mind, it’s a priority to add a 3rd back to that mix.

Which tells us what they think of Kelly and Davis, IMO.

…

dzrams

PFF has him as their 38th ranked player and says this about him:

Rapp was one of the most assignment-sure safeties in the country this past season and missed all of two tackles on 56 attempts.

Darrell Henderson put up numbers last year rarely ever seen in college football. How the quiet RB from Mississippi got to Memphis and became a 3rd-round pick.@TheAthleticLA @VinnyBonsignorehttps://t.co/Nua5E4wksx

— The Athletic CFB (@TheAthleticCFB) April 27, 2019

Darrell Henderson said when he spoke with #Rams during the process they told him there was a possibility they would trade up to get him.

— Vincent Bonsignore (@VinnyBonsignore) April 27, 2019

Suffice to say, I don't think the #Rams make that kind of move without anticipating Henderson playing a significant role. Which of course brings up questions about how much of a load Todd Gurley will, or can, carry

— Vincent Bonsignore (@VinnyBonsignore) April 27, 2019

Suffice to say, I don't think the #Rams make that kind of move without anticipating Henderson playing a significant role. Which of course brings up questions about how much of a load Todd Gurley will, or can, carry

— Vincent Bonsignore (@VinnyBonsignore) April 27, 2019