David

Long Jr.

Long played on just nine defensive snaps last season and failed to record a tackle in the 13 games he appeared in. According to PFF, Long appeared on 106 special teams snaps last season. We can expect he’ll reprise a similar role this coming season.

A former third-round pick, Long spent four years in LA before leaving in free agency last offseason. He signed with the Raiders as a free agent but was released mid-season. Long then had brief stays with the Panthers and Packers. Long will need to carve out a role on special teams in New York to lock up a roster spot.

Long, not to be confused with the linebacker David Long who was also drafted in 2019, never advanced beyond part-time work with the Rams in his four seasons on his rookie deal. He started 10 games in four seasons, and peaked at 516 defensive snaps in 2021. This is a great depth chart for him to get a chance, but it’s hard to say for sure that he’ll get major snaps in 2023.

Nothing to see here.

Nobody too notable here after the Rams took a conservative approach with preseason usage. The question becomes if Jared Goff can break off his bad home/road splits.

Long (5’11/196) turned pro as a true junior after making 26 starts in Jim Harbaugh’s secondary, logging 17 career pass breakups and three interceptions and earning first-team All-Big Ten in the coaches’ vote in 2018. Long yielded just nine completed passes on targets into his coverage all last year. Also a 92nd-percentile SPARQ athlete, Long blazed 4.45 with a 39 ½-inch vertical along with the quickest three-cone (6.45) and short shuttle (3.97) times of any player invited to Indy. Physical and fiercely competitive on tape, Long dominated in constant outside press-man position at Michigan and has the requisite skill set to dominate in the slot. He profiles as rich man’s Kareem Jackson. The Rams dealt with corner injuries last season, so expect Long to initially fill a depth role.

Long (5’11/196) turned pro as a true junior after making 26 starts in Jim Harbaugh’s secondary, logging 17 career pass breakups and three interceptions and earning first-team All-Big Ten in the coaches’ vote in 2018. Long yielded just nine completed passes on targets into his coverage all last year. Also a 92nd-percentile SPARQ athlete, Long blazed 4.45 with a 39 ½-inch vertical along with the quickest three-cone (6.45) and short shuttle (3.97) times of any player invited to Indy. Physical and fiercely competitive on tape, Long dominated in constant outside press-man position at Michigan and has the requisite skill set to dominate in the slot. He profiles as rich man’s Kareem Jackson. The Rams dealt with corner injuries last season, so expect Long to initially fill a depth role.

PFF lists Long (5'11/195) as the fourth best corner in this class, and 33rd overall. That’s borderline first-round territory for a player most believe goes late on Day 2. The analytical side has been high on Long for a long time, however, as you can see from these numbers. “Few cornerbacks have been stingier than Long since we started college charting in 2014,” Renner writes. “In 595 coverage snaps in his three seasons at Michigan, he was targeted 60 times and allowed all of 18 receptions -- the vast majority of which were throws underneath -- for 130 yards and a passer rating of 24.3.” He also tested very well at the combine, so if he does last late into Day 2, Long is a potential steal. That’s an understatement, really.

Long (5'11/196) posted the fourth best short shuttle time of any defensive player in the last 15 seasons, so NFL teams will look to fine tune that athleticism into a starting corner. Pro Football Focus credited Long with the fewest yards per coverage snap allowed among Big 10 defensive backs, but he isn’t viewed in the same tier as Greedy Williams, Deandre Baker, Byron Murphy or Justin Layne.

Very impressive. Long’s 3.97 second time in the short shuttle is obviously impressive, but it’s the cone time of 6.45 seconds that really stands out. As the Athletic’s Dane Brugler points out, that’s the fourth best time of any defender in the past 15 years, and well above the 6.94 second average of NFL draft picks. Add that in with his 4.45 second 40-yard dash time earlier, and it’s impossible to say that he didn’t improve his stock in Indianapolis.