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Former Michigan cornerback David Long had a tremendous career for the Wolverines, and now he’s less than a week away from being selected in the NFL Draft.
Long’s stock is picking up steam, and Pro Football Focus is all-in on Long.
David Long allowed just a 36.9 passer rating on throws into his coverage.
— Pro Football Focus (@PFF) April 19, 2019
That's lower than if the opposing QB had just thrown the ball in the dirt on every play. pic.twitter.com/BhciCP2QYf
When laid out, David Long's coverage statistics are almost UNBELIEVABLE. pic.twitter.com/ELvpy8Yl11
— PFF Draft (@PFF_College) April 17, 2019
In PFF’s “Who we love more than most” article, they listed Long first:
“Few cornerbacks have been stingier than Long since we started college charting in 2014. 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. On targets 10-plus yards downfield, Long yielded only four completions on 29 attempts for 59 yards while breaking up 13. Those stats are out of this world.
In his combine performance, leading the 3-cone and short shuttles, Long showed that he has the athleticism to translate to the next level. Teams might take him off their boards entirely because he is shorter than 5-foot-11 with less than 31-inch arms, but if they do, they’ll miss out on a great player.”
The 3-cone and short shuttle at the combine are important drills, the players who have better 3-cone times are more likely able to stick on great route runners such as Julian Edelman.
Long was a complete player for Michigan and should turn into a productive pro in the NFL. Expect Long to be drafted round two or three.