Overview
Position: Cornerback
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 196 pounds
School: Michigan Wolverines
Combine Performance Data
40-yard dash: 4.45 seconds
Bench press: 15 reps
Vertical jump: 39.5 inches
Three-cone drill: 6.45 seconds
20-yard shuttle: 3.97 seconds
David Long 2019 NFL Draft Profile
Michigan cornerback David Long opted to skip his senior season and declare for the 2019 NFL Draft. It’s hard to question his decision, as Long enters the draft on the heels of a wonderful 2018. Appearing in 13 games, Long finished his season with one interception, six passes defended, and 17 tackles. Opposing quarterbacks hardly looked his way and Long earned First-Team All-Big Ten honors for his fantastic play.
Long initially joined Michigan as a four-star recruit from Los Angeles, CA. A two-way athlete in high school, Long transitioned to a full-time cornerback during his true freshman season. After playing sparingly in 2016, Long saw a regular role on defense as a Sophomore. Appearing in 11 games, Long recorded two interceptions, six passes defended, and 20 combined tackles.
In all, Long finished his college career with three interceptions, 12 passes defended, and 37 tackles. He possessed the ability to lock down his side of the field and entered the draft as the 33rd-best prospect, per Pro Football Focus.
Strengths
- strong in press coverage and rarely allows a clean release;
- tight coverage discouraged quarterbacks from testing his side of the field;
- possesses elite lateral quickness and ability to follow receivers everywhere;
- physical cornerback capable of disrupting routes and timing patterns;
- compact, efficient footwork with minimal wasted movement.
Weaknesses
- lacks prototypical height and arm length;
- struggles to defend bigger receivers;
- played press almost exclusively, not much film of other coverages;
- lack of size could lead to a transition to the slot;
- didn’t play in the slot and could need time to adapt to the new role.
NFL Comparison: Carlos Rogers
Teams With a Need: Oakland Raiders, Kansas City Chiefs, San Francisco 49ers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Atlanta Falcons, Cincinnati Bengals
Projection: Round two
Bottom Line
Long would be a first-round pick if he were two or three inches taller. He was one of the best cornerbacks in the nation last year, providing lockdown press coverage throughout the season. Opposing quarterbacks rarely targeted him, leading to some artificially deflated numbers which don’t accurately reflect how good he was. Long was more-or-less stapled to his receivers’ hip thanks to his press coverage abilities and his elite change of direction.
Long’s only physical limitation is his height. While he won’t let opposing wide receivers get open, he might not be able to match up with larger wide receivers. His 5’11” height is below-average and his arm length tested in the 27th percentile. That said, his vertical jump still put him in the 87th percentile of the draft class.
The biggest issues with Long come from the unknown. Michigan played a high percentage of press coverage and there isn’t enough tape to adequately evaluate how Long performs in zone coverage. Because of this, some zone-heavy teams may not want to invest an early-round pick into a relative unknown.
Long should be able to carry his top-level press coverage to the NFL. While he is undersized for a typical outside cornerback, his vertical jump skills, agility, and physical play should be enough to overcome his lack of height. Even if he needs to move to the slot, Long has what it takes to be a legitimate NFL contributor.
Main photo:
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