Ratings:
Speed B+, Agility B-, Acceleration B, Jumping B, Hit Power C+, Pursuit C+, Man Coverage C, Zone Coverage C-, Press B-
Evaluation:
Long is a good sized cornerback prospect with some upside and scheme versatility when projecting for the college level. Tall with good length but is lean and will need to add some size and strength before making a major contribution at the next level. Shows some rigidness in his hips and turns but may be athletic and aggressive enough to play corner to start his career in Cover 2 schemes. Reads the quarterback well and shows solid underneath skill-set breaking on the perimeter pass. Displays more than adequate quickness jumping routes and physicality jamming and limiting yards after the catch. Utilizes his length to cover a lot of ground on his underneath run support and flashes good contact as a tackler. Needs to work on wrapping up more consistently instead of lunging as well as improving upper-body strength to shed the stalk-block quicker. As a deep zone defender he shows good range, coverage awareness and ball skills. Those attributes as well as his ability to get down into the box quickly on run support when deployed as a high-point defender make safety a good possibility if he adds the necessary size. Our main concern at corner or safety is his lack of great speed and smooth transitional skills. Does show the ability to flip his hips in man schemes and stay between the ball and receiver but we do not see great overall man-to-man ability at the next level without over the top help. Needs some overall polish in his footwork, consistent hip sink and knee bend. Overall, Long is a productive defensive back prospect whose best football is ahead of him. Versatile, rangy, aggressive and comfortable around the ball, just lacks some sought-after speed and smoothness.