Don’t Sleep On David Long Jr., Or Else

Don't Sleep On David Long Jr., Or Else - LAFB Network

Don't sleep on David Long Jr. because he is next in line of Los Angeles Rams cornerbacks. He isn't Troy Hill but that may not be a bad thing.

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Don’t Sleep On David Long Jr., Or Else​

Jalen Ramsey and Darious Williams are firmly entrenched as the Los Angeles Rams starting cornerbacks. In fact, the duo makes up arguably the best duo in the NFL. But who is going to replace Troy Hill at nickelback? All I can say is don’t sleep on David Long Jr.

Ann Arbor To Los Angeles

Long Jr. was drafted in the third round with the 79th overall pick in 2019. He was praised for his press-man ability and his ability to offer inside/outside versatility. Listed at 5’11” and 196 lbs., he definitely has the requisite size to play in either role. With just 158 total snaps in coverage going into his third season it’s easy to see why he has been forgotten.

Replacing Troy Hill

The Rams seem to be impressed with Long Jr. this offseason even if he isn’t Troy Hill. Long Jr. was never going to be a day one starter. The Rams employ a lot of zone coverage schemes in their defense. Long Jr. played almost zero zone coverage during his time as a Michigan Wolverine. He was a press-man corner who was consistently in the hip pockets of receivers. Not to mention, corner is one of the hardest positions to transition to in all of sports. However, Sean McVay’s comments this offseason seem to point towards Long Jr. finally getting his shot to make some plays.

Not An Easy Transition

In two years as a starter at Michigan, Long Jr. only gave up 18 total catches on 60 total targets for a measly 30% completion percentage. He only gave up 130 total yards. Quarterbacks didn’t even want to throw his way as his allowed passer rating was just 24.3. The talent is there and the Rams have shown a propensity for developing talent in the secondary. Long Jr. was almost exclusively an outside, press-man corner in college and the Rams have transitioned him into a primarily slot corner in a heavy zone scheme.

Long Jr. should be the heavy favorite to win the third cornerback spot, in my opinion. He has a very good skill set and has been able to develop the last two years and is part of an extremely talented secondary overall. Don’t sleep on David Long Jr. If you are, you better wake up before he re-routes you.

 

[Loyal]

ZZzzzzzzzzzz* ~ @CGI_Ram

 

[So Ram]

Yeah - it was La to Michigan back to LA!! Les Sneads son went to school with David Long.
In 2019 Long was in the mix with Hill & Williams.In 2020 Long got lost in the depth chart.He did give up Tua’s first NFL TD.Then I believe a 2 pt. Conversion?
The truth is if you look at a Troy Reeder you can figure out how close you are of taking over a starting spot even if your not getting Reps.
David Long has been a core special teams guy.Nick Scott though just made the DB group have such great depth. Burgees is versatile so moving inside got tougher in 2020.Fuller came in & started. He was such a key role player.
David Long when drafted was also The Youngest Ram in 2019.Last year it was Cam Akers just to think of his upside!! Reminds me of Fred Taylor & Emmitt Smith. Yes FSU vs Florida RB history.
The craziest thing now with The Rams is Bobby Brown being only 20 years old!! R U FREAKING kidding me?
Where do you find that talent ???

Just saying David Long is young,but The Rams once again will continue to be one of the youngest in The NFL.Pleasant is gone,but David Long came into The NFL with Talib & Peters both being the starters.He did battle for playing time & was out in as a rookie.He held his own.The skill set is there. Just depends on his development.

I’m curious about The Rams with such talent.At the last OTA’s Juju made a play against Tutu ? Not sure if true,but talent shines.Juju Huges is an up & comer as well.

 

[den-the-coach]

I’m curious about The Rams with such talent.At the last OTA’s Juju made a play against Tutu ? Not sure if true,but talent shines.Juju Huges is an up & comer as well.

Good point on Juju Hughes, he's one of the few safeties that can actually cover. Not a fan of the toothpick ala U.L. Washington from yesteryear, but Hughes has an excellent opportunity to shine in preseason.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

The proof is in the pudding. It will be tough for Long to replace Hill’s tackling ability. I hope he can through for the Rams.

 

[Corbin]

As Michigan fan I’ve always been a fan of Long Jr. And stated this exact scenario when we had drafted, he’s amazing at man coverage but the zone coverage aspect might be a bit before he gets the hang of it. Some CB’s never really do, others take a few years to adjust.

It sounds like things might be clicking for David and also he has a starting role that is for the taking which presents a perfect storm. His ball skills are amazing, it’s going to to be exciting to see if he can secure this position as I think Rochelle is probably a year or more from contributing as well.

 

[BonifayRam]

The proof is in the pudding. It will be tough for Long to replace Hill’s tackling ability. I hope he can through for the Rams.

I have seen nothing in two NFL seasons that would lead me to conclude CB David Long is anything than a 4th or 5th Ram corner @ this time. His on-field performances have been awful.

I take it as early before season Ram Org. attempts to pump it up ......just propaganda.

 

[Merlin]

It would be great to see him arrive now. He hasn't really distinguished himself on the field but he does have the tools. Hoping this isn't just the team "fluffing" him.

 

[BonifayRam]

It would be great to see him arrive now. He hasn't really distinguished himself on the field but he does have the tools. Hoping this isn't just the team "fluffing" him.

If DC Morris is depending on Snead's top two 2019 draft selections with DB's Rapp & Long to play an important role in pass defense with their pass converge Back-Pack's .......:facepalm:he is not going to have a good first season here in LA. Both can tackle well but it's always a day late, dollar short & then add to the tackle stats situation. Meanwhile, it's normally a new set of downs......:dep:

 

[Merlin]

If DC Morris is depending on Snead's top two 2019 draft selections with DB's Rapp & Long to play an important role in pass defense with their pass converge Back-Pack's .......:facepalm:he is not going to have a good first season here in LA. Both can tackle well but it's always a day late, dollar short & then add to the tackle stats situation. Meanwhile, it's normally a new set of downs......:dep:

Yeah I have no idea what the plan is with Rapp. I will say he's very good coming into the box post-snap vs the run. And I think his man coverage is decent for a safety, not great but a lot of them aren't. His issue is the mistakes he's made in zone.

I think his ideal usage would be as the WILB opposite Jones or Reeder. He'd give a sideline-to-sideline coverage and could stay on the field for all snaps.

But we'll also see a lot of packages and Cover 3 with Morris. Maybe even some Cover 2 hybrid. So idk but not too worried about it because we have so many options.

 

[CGI_Ram]

It would be great to see him arrive now. He hasn't really distinguished himself on the field but he does have the tools. Hoping this isn't just the team "fluffing" him.

There is no shame being buried on the depth chart of this team... if that’s why Long hasn’t shown much so far.

We sure need him.

 

[XXXIVwin]

Yea, I'm sleepin' on Long. Haven't seen anything from him yet. Hope he proves us wrong and takes a huge step up

 

[PressureD41]

People keep sleeping on Nick Scott & Terrell Burgess, they will both getting a ton of snaps. I think Rapp will be losing snaps to both these cats!!! JMHO

 

[oldnotdead]

Long isn't a star CB. He's a boundary CB so when he rotates in he will replace either Williams or Ramsey on their outside spot as they rotate inside. The same will be with Rochell. In Rochell and Long, the Rams are truly 4 deep at CB. In all fairness, I think Rochell was drafted because the Rams are probably worried they won't be able to re-sign Williams. If Darious has another good year his value will skyrocket and with all the other FAs next year it's going to be difficult to extend everyone.

I think they will make a legit attempt to keep Darious and he would be foolish to leave a SB contender simply for more money than the Rams can afford.

Long has simply taken a year longer to develop which isn't unusual BTW. Most CBs take 2-3 years to really make the transition to the NFL. Long is in his third year so a lot will be expected of him. I've seen enough to know he still has some rough edges but the progress is there. At 5'11" he's got average height for a boundary CB, and with 4.45 speed he's got good positional speed. He came out with a rep as a good man coverage boundary CB. But he needed a lot of work on NFL level zone concepts. I think having Staley and his zone heavy scheme was good for Long's development. In his third year, he can play faster without having to think his way through each play.

 

[So Ram]

Long isn't a star CB. He's a boundary CB so when he rotates in he will replace either Williams or Ramsey on their outside spot as they rotate inside. The same will be with Rochell. In Rochell and Long, the Rams are truly 4 deep at CB. In all fairness, I think Rochell was drafted because the Rams are probably worried they won't be able to re-sign Williams. If Darious has another good year his value will skyrocket and with all the other FAs next year it's going to be difficult to extend everyone.

I think they will make a legit attempt to keep Darious and he would be foolish to leave a SB contender simply for more money than the Rams can afford.

Long has simply taken a year longer to develop which isn't unusual BTW. Most CBs take 2-3 years to really make the transition to the NFL. Long is in his third year so a lot will be expected of him. I've seen enough to know he still has some rough edges but the progress is there. At 5'11" he's got average height for a boundary CB, and with 4.45 speed he's got good positional speed. He came out with a rep as a good man coverage boundary CB. But he needed a lot of work on NFL level zone concepts. I think having Staley and his zone heavy scheme was good for Long's development. In his third year, he can play faster without having to think his way through each play.

i believe your right for the most part.
IMO though from his time with The Rams is Where Gould he have been playing & for whom ???

it is easy for me & everyone else to say he regressed, or that he is this or genus that ? My point is that in 2019 & 2020 The Rams have drafted well.

Tyler Rapp had a hard time getting onto the field as well & he was The Rams first pick in 2019. Nick Scott was a raw defensive talent who was mainly a RB at Penn St.Fuller was such a good find. He was the 4th DB from Ohio St. In 2019.Plus the team Captain. Just goes to show that numbers at a combine don’t always add up to production or play..

 

[XXXIVwin]

Can I still sleep on Jamil Demby?

 

[FaulkSF]

Can I still sleep on Jamil Demby?

You can sleep on whoever you want @XXXIVwin, I support whatever lifestyle you choose. You probably should ask his permission first though.

 

[FrantikRam]

Whoever wins that 3rd CB job - we'll be in great shape

 

[XXXIVwin]

You can sleep on whoever you want @XXXIVwin, I support whatever lifestyle you choose. You probably should ask his permission first though.

"Whomever" :facepalm:

I don't support grammatically incorrect lifestyles :alol:

 

[LA_Rams_#29]

Long will play.... He'll sure be out there in Dime packages, but it's yet to be seen if he's our slot corner in Nickel. Burgess in the Slot with Rapp as the SS, and Fuller at the Free safety may be our best Nickel line up. If Rapp doesn't win over the SS spot, then that would slide Burgess there, and Long in the slot. But I'm just thinking that Burgess and Rapp out there gives us our best overall Nickel...stout for the run, and physical coverage out of Burgess. Honestly a lot will be determined by whether Rapp can hold down the SS spot...if he does than I would think Burgess would get on the field before Long.