#1 2008 NFL DRAFT RAMS PICK (Round 1, 2nd overall): Chris Long, DE, Virginia

[Nick]

OVERVIEW

Regarded by many as one of the most dominant defensive players in college football entering his senior season, Long more than lived up to those expectations, terrorizing opposing quarterbacks to the tune of 14 sacks, 23 pressures, nine pass break-ups and an interception in 2007. He also caused a pair of fumbles on sacks that Virginia recovered, leading to Cavaliers scores.

Named the Atlantic Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year and the recipient of the Ted Hendricks Award (nation's top defensive end), Long has certainly emerged from the shadows of his father, former Oakland Raiders defensive end and Hall of Famer, Howie Long. "You want to talk about a chip off the old block? This is a young man that plays absolutely lights-out football," North Carolina head coach Butch Davis said. "Chris Long has to be one of the premier defensive linemen in the country."

Virginia head coach Al Groh also had nothing but rave reviews on Long, stating, "It's hard to imagine there being a better player at any position than Chris Long. A guy would have to be one of the Transformers to be better than Chris. When you've got one of the best players the school's ever had and he's only interested in helping the team win, it puts an exclamation point on what you're trying to do." Groh was amazed that Chris did not receive more Heisman Trophy consideration: "If they're ever going to invite a defensive player to New York in December for the Heisman Trophy presentation, you'd have to think it was Chris Long."

Long was well-known to college recruiters, especially after a stellar career at St. Anne's-Belfield School, where competed on both lines for the state champion squad. The Super Prep and Prep Star All-American received a four-star prospect rating from Rivals.com, a service that rated him the sixth-best defensive end in the prep ranks. Tom Lemming ranked him eighth in the country at defensive end and College Football News placed him 11th at that position.

Long was a member of Rival.com's Atlantic East Amazing-80 team and he was an honorable mention All-South choice by the Orlando Sentinel. He was named 2003 Gatorade Player of the Year in Virginia and rated as the second-best player in Virginia by the Charlottesville Daily Progress "Gold List," third by the Roanoke Times and fourth by Super Prep and Rivals.com. He was also a three-time first-team All-State selection on offense and defense.

The Central Virginia Defensive Player of the Year by the Daily Progress as a senior, Long was a three-time first-team All-Central Virginia defensive lineman by the Charlottesville Daily Progress and earned first-team All-Central Virginia honors his senior season as an offensive lineman as well. He was selected Conference Defensive Player of the Year his final two seasons and was selected Student Sports Junior All-American in 2002.

Long registered 91 tackles (44 solos) as a senior to help lead his team to an undefeated season and the state championship, as he had 23 tackles for loss and 15 sacks that season. He also recorded 72 pancake blocks on offense. As a junior, he posted 85 tackles with 12 sacks and more than 20 tackles for loss. The three-time first-team All-Conference choice finished his career with 43 sacks and 66 tackles for loss. He also played basketball, lacrosse, and baseball during his high school career, winning the 2003 YMCA Slam Dunk Contest for high school students.

Long would hold the rare distinction of having his jersey retired at St. Anne's Belfield School and also at the University of Virginia, where he played in six games during his freshman year in 2004. He posted five tackles with an 8-yard sack before being sidelined due to a bout of mononucleosis.

As a sophomore, Long took over right defensive end duties, starting all 12 games. He totaled 46 tackles (22 solos) with 1.5 sacks and had 7.5 stops for losses, along with 26 pressures and seven pass deflections in 752 plays. In 2006, he earned All-State honors, helping the team rank 17th in the nation, allowing just 289.5 yards per game in total offense. He collected 57 tackles (32 solos) with 4.5 sacks, adding 9.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage to go with 21 pressures in 715 defensive snaps.

As a senior, Long received countless postseason honors, including consensus first-team All-American and unanimous All-Atlantic Coast Conference first-team accolades. He ranked second on the team with 79 tackles (36 solos). The defensive captain tied for third in the nation with 14 sacks and was 14th nationally with 19 stops for losses. He had 23 pressures with an interception and nine pass deflections while blocking one kick and causing two fumbles.

In 43 games at Virginia, Long started 37 times. He recorded 187 tackles (93 solos) with 70 quarterback pressures, three forced fumbles, a 25-yard interception return and 17 pass deflections. He ranks tied for seventh in school history with 21 sacks for minus-171 yards and is sixth all-time in Virginia annals with 38 stops for losses totaling 211 yards. He also blocked one kick while participating in 2,432 defensive plays.

Career Notes

Long's 21 quarterback sacks tied Sean Scott (1984-87) for seventh on the school's career-record list, topped by Chris Slade (40, 1989-92), Darryl Blackstock (27, 2002-04), Mike Frederick (26, 1991-94), Patrick Kerney (24, 1995-98), Stuart Anderson (23, 1978-81) and Duane Ashman (23, 1993-96)...His 14 sacks in 2007 tied Chris Slade (1991) for third on Virginia's season-record list behind Slade's 15 in 1992 and Patrick Kerney's 15 in 1998...His 38 tackles behind the line of scrimmage placed him sixth on the school's career-record chart, surpassed by Chris Slade (56, 1989-92), Mike Frederick (50, 1991-94), Darryl Blackstock (45, 2002-04), Stuart Anderson (42, 1978-81) and Jamie Sharper (41, 1993-96)...Long's 19 stops for losses in 2007 rank fifth on Virginia's season-record list behind Chris Slade (21 in 1991 and 20 in 1992), Mike Frederick (21 in 1993) and Patrick Kerney (21 in 1998).

High School

Attended St. Anne's-Belfield (Charlottesville, Va.) School, playing football for head coach John Blake...Competed on both lines for the state champion squad...Super Prep and Prep Star All-American choice...Received a four-star prospect rating from Rivals.com., a service that rated him the sixth-best defensive end in the prep ranks...Tom Lemming ranked him eighth in the country at defensive end and College Football News placed him 11th at that position...Member of Rival.com's Atlantic East Amazing-80 team...Honorable mention All-South choice by the Orlando Sentinel...Named 2003 Gatorade Player of the Year in Virginia and rated as the second-best player in Virginia by the Charlottesville Daily Progress "Gold List," third by the Roanoke Times and fourth by Super Prep...Three-time first-team All-State selection on offense and defense...Central Virginia Defensive Player of the Year by the Daily Progress as a senior...Three-time first-team All-Central Virginia defensive lineman by the Charlottesville Daily Progress and earned first-team All-Central Virginia honors his senior season as an offensive lineman as well...Selected Conference Defensive Player of the Year his final two seasons and was selected Student Sports Junior All-American in 2002...Registered 91 tackles (44 solos) as a senior to help lead his team to an undefeated season and the state championship, as he had 23 tackles for loss and 15 sacks that season...Also recorded 72 pancake blocks on offense...As a junior, he posted 85 tackles with 12 sacks and more than 20 tackles for loss. The three-time first-team All-Conference choice finished his career with 43 sacks and 66 tackles for loss...Also played basketball, lacrosse and baseball during his high school career, winning the 2003 YMCA Slam Dunk Contest for high school students.


ANALYSIS

Positives: Has long arms and large hands, with good upper body muscle tone, tight waist and hips and shows good lower body thickness...Uses his long reach well to keep blockers away from his body, also utilizing it, along with good timing and leaping ability to bat down a fair share of passes at the line of scrimmage...What sets him apart from most young defensive ends is his keen knowledge of the game and his uncanny ability to read block pressure and quickly locate the ball...Quick-twitch athlete who shows good quickness, agility and flexibility, showing good knee bend...Builds to top acceleration nicely in long pursuit and shows good redirection skills in his pass rush off the edge...Lacks an explosive burst, but has good leverage and reach to separate from blocks and close on the quarterback...Shows solid football instincts and is able to learn and retain information easily, showing the quick instincts to locate the ball through trash...Plays and practices hard and with a purpose, showing good effort and toughness throughout the play...Leads by example, as well as with his voice, as the coaches encourage the younger players to emulate his great work ethic...Can handle tough coaching and is harder on himself than the staff is when he fails to make a play or blows an assignment...Has active hands and feet, showing outstanding quickness off the ball and natural movement ability to close...Comes off the snap with good pad level, getting into the blocker quickly with a solid hand jolt to rock the opponent back on his heels (needs to do a better job of staying on the lead blocker to clog the rush lane, though)...Has very crisp plant-and-drive agility to make quick change of direction moves working down the line...One of his better assets is his lateral agility...Has a good feel for blocks and knows what to do to avoid in pursuit...Defends the run well, using his hands and extending at the point-of-attack, as he has the hand punch to quickly shed blockers and has developed into an efficient, physical, hip-roll tackler working in-line... When he extends his arms (and keeps them active), he plays with good leverage and can hold ground at the point of attack vs. the isolated blocker (struggles some vs. double-teams)...Has better leverage than strength to anchor, knowing how to use his lower body...Has enough size and strength to hold up at the point-of-attack and the flexibility to sit in the crease and hold his ground or get off blocks...When he keeps his hands inside the framework, he can keep separation from the blocker (exposes his chest when his hands get too wide)...Moves very well laterally and displays good effort in pursuit, as he has the knee bend to slip by blockers in-line...High energy type who had better success disengaging in 2007 than he did in the past, thanks to clearing his feet and chasing hard to run down plays in pursuit...Shows adequate flexibility to fight off cut blocks (needs to protect feet better still, but has improved), as he takes good angles when pursuing downfield...Physical tackler who can bend, roll his hips and drive through the ballcarrier...Might not generate explosive hits, but he has the strength to push the pocket...Makes a good effort to arm tackle...His above average lateral quickness is utilized well in his back-side pursuit...Does a good job when asked to wrap up and drag down the ballcarrier in space and he has the functional strength to generate inside pressure vs. offensive line-man's outside shoulder...Shows good body lean coming off the snap and has developed a solid inside counter move to generate pressure...Has the upfield speed, along with swim and rip moves to go with the inside counter and bull rush (asset needed for a potential move to defensive tackle)...Uses flexibility and a good burst to collapse the pocket and displays the quick hands and feet, along with good hip-flex to turn the corner on edge rushes...Can keep separation vs. the run when he uses his hands to control, and when he takes dead aim on the quarterback he shows good intent to get there...With his leverage, he can beat the blocker in and out to close on the passer, as he demonstrates good hand placement and the ability to separate from blockers.

Negatives: Lacks suddenness off the snap to surprise a lethargic blocker...Best when taking angles to the quarterback, as he does not have the foot speed to take the wide loop in pursuit...Needs to be more active with his hands, especially when executing counter moves, as he struggles to shed when a blocker locks on to his jersey...Susceptible to the low block and needs to do a better job of slipping off double teams (must execute his spin move more)...Might be a better fit as a defensive tackle in a 4-3 alignment, so as not to expose his adequate closing burst...Does not use his reach or counter moves with consistency and can be engulfed by the larger blockers...Plays better on the move (can get stuck on the bigger blockers at the X's).

Compares To: AARON KAMPMAN-Green Bay...Like Kampman, Long is not the fastest, nor is he the strongest defensive end you will find. He lacks the blazing speed you look for in an edge rusher and will struggle to shed blocks at times, but like the Packers standout, he has great field savvy, vision and determination. He knows when he needs to avoid blockers rather than try to overpower them, as he really doesn't have that blow-up strength (good, not great) to dominate, anyway. What he does is take good angles in pursuit and display excellent lateral range working down the line. In a scheme that will let him press the outside shoulder of an offensive tackle, he will have good success. With his pad level and in-line instincts, he could also earn quality minutes as a defensive tackle in a 4-3 alignment, but is more ideally suited to play defensive end in a 3-4 formation.

Injury Report

2004: Sat out the Syracuse (9/25), Clemson (10/07), Florida State (10/16), Duke (10/23) and Maryland (11/06) games due to mononucleosis.


QUESTION & ANSWER

Growing up, who was your favorite NFL player and why?
Ray Lewis because of the emotion he brings to the game.

In college, what player hit you the hardest? Who was the recipient of your best hit?
My proudest moment in football was being elected captain twice by my teammates because their opinions are most valued to me. Outside of my career I'm most proud of the accomplishments of my brothers.

In college, what player hit you the hardest? Who was the recipient of your best hit?
Gore from VT laid on me in a pile and it was uncomfortable. He weighs 360 pounds; I hit Chris Turner from Maryland but you'd have to ask him if it hurt.

What TV-show marathon will keep you on the couch all day?
Family Guy or Planet Earth

What are the five most-played songs in your iPod? What's the one song you hope nobody ever finds out is in your iPod?
Success - Jay-Z, Pain remix - Judakiss, U Ain't ready 4 me- Beanie Sigel, I get money remix - Judakiss, What we do - Freeway. I don't want anyone to see Fergie's Big girls don't cry.

What celebrity would play you in the movie version of your life and why?
Russell Crowe because he has played the role of some pretty driven people in great movies.

What is one thing your teammates don't know about you?
That I was born with a sixth finger on my left hand, but I think a lot of them know that.

What reality TV show would you like to be on and why?
None because no one acts normal on TV.

What's your proudest moment in football? Proudest moment off the field?
My proudest moment in football was being elected captain twice by my teammates because their opinions are most valued to me. Outside of my career I'm most proud of the accomplishments of my brothers.

When you play Madden, what team do you use? Do you put yourself on the team?
When I used to play I'd use the Eagles with Westbrook, McNabb and the Freak.

Who has been the biggest influence on your football career and how?
My family because I play the game to a standard that hopefully makes them proud.

[ram3057]

YEEEEESSSSSSSS!!!!!!

This is a GREAT addition to the team !!!

[FolsomFan]

I am very happy with this pick!

[Keenum]

I like the pick, our D-line just got a lot better.
Now I have no idea what we do with our next pick, or if we try to make a trade or something. Guess I'll sit back and enjoy the rest of the draft.

[Rambos]

This is great! I am so happy right now!

[Mooselini]

It's a great day to be a Rams' fan. GO RAMS!

Lets get ready for round two guys!

[39thebeast]

Great pick verry excited about this season this young D-line should be beastly. I think we can be a sleeper team this year if we can stay healthy. Chris Long is that good

[MASSIVE]

Great pick!!! Now lets see what we do in the 2nd round

[Ramblin` Ram]

great pick,the one i wanted!


Little,Ryan,Carriker,Long...mmmmmmmm thats sweet!

[RAM-BO]

I was leaning toward Dorsey, but I cannot be mad about this move. Good luck Chris Long

[ramsplaya16]

loooooooooooooonnnnnnnnggggggggggggg=beast

[Nick]

Chris Long on Sirius Radio after being picked by the Rams. Notes on interview transcribed by me:

-Most exhilarating moment of his life.

-Found out he'd be the pick when everyone else did. "What's up with that? *laughter*?" Said it was an adrenaline rush.

-Slept fine last night, knowing he didn't have to wake up real early.

-When he met with Haslett a while ago, said Haslett was excited about things he could do with Long. Said he talked to Linehan after the pick was made and thanked him, Linehan went to bat for Long and wanted him in St. Louis according to Chris

-Chris says he was the calmest one at his table, family going to give him a heart attack

-Howie is in better shape than he was an hour ago, biggest emotional roller coaster for Howie watching his son get drafted.

-Excited to be part of our D-line with Little and Carriker, first thing he wants to do is earn respect and show he's worth the pick with work ethic and performance.

[RamWraith]

It is official Defensive End Chris Long is a Ram

Use this thread to discuss the newest Ram.

[RamWraith]

BernieM wrote:

It's really funny...
Some of my media pals are all but swooning over the guy.
And some fans are borderline aroused over him.
Frankly I haven't seen anything like it.
It's true love.

It's great that the Rams will be drafting a pin-up boy for the Chris Long Man Crush Boys... I just hope the dude can play at a high level in the NFL.

One scout told me this morning -- if it's a fair competition, he won't be able to beat out James Hall.

--B

[Bar-bq]

Great pick. Hopefully, he'll be the heart of the defense for the next 10 years.