Posts tagged Chris Long at FanHouse

Virginia defensive end Chris Long is such a versatile athlete that some draft analysts have said he could line up at all seven positions on a defensive front. That's probably overkill (could he really play nose tackle in a 3-4 defense?), but it's true that he's going to be easy to fit into a spot in the starting lineup as a rookie in St. Louis after the Rams took him with the second pick in the NFL draft today.

Long, who won a high school slam dunk contest in 2003, is a much better athlete than he gets credit for; although he wasn't a workout wonder at the combine like Ohio State's Vernon Gholston, he's fast and explosive. He had 14 sacks as a senior.

Trivia: Long was born with a sixth finger on his left hand, which was amputated. Maybe if it hadn't been he'd play offense; that seems like an advantage in catching the ball.

Previously on FanHouse:
The NFL Will Soon Decide Whether or Not to Screw the Rams
It'll Take More Than a Broken Leg to Keep the Rams from Drafting Glenn Dorsey
Darren McFadden Sits Atop the Rams' Draft Board -- Uh, So What?
FanHouse Mock Draft: St. Louis Rams Select OT Jake Long No. 2

Just when we thought the St. Louis Rams were prepared to pick Virginia defensive end Chris Long second overall, and that the Atlanta Falcons would then take Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan third, and that the Baltimore Ravens were so desperate to get a quarterback that they could take Michigan's Chad Henne as high as 10th, something wacky happened.

Adam Schefter reported on NFL Network that the Ravens are now trying to trade up and take the Rams' pick, second overall, so that they can get Ryan. That would then create a chain reaction that would have the Falcons taking Glenn Dorsey third, and Long on the board far longer than anyone expected.

The trade might not happen because the Rams won't trade down unless the Ravens blow them away with an offer. But the mere possibility of it happening must have a whole lot of teams at the top of the draft scrambling, just when the draft boards appeared to be falling into place.

The Bleacher Report has brought out their NFL Draft drinking game. If you are looking for an excuse to get wasted quickly, check it out and play so you can deal with the (over)hype and drink your arse off (like the guy pictured).

But how can we help ourselves? We're fans. And as fans, we need to know every detail about every player our team is considering drafting. And when our team finally picks an unknown linebacker from Middle Southern Tennessee State, we're going to need one of ESPN's 23 draft analysts to breakdown his 40 time and discuss his upside.

So, here are just some of the "rules" to follow to make your NFL Draft a jolly one:

• Every time Chris Berman unveils a ridiculous nickname...drink!
• Every time a Chris Berman nickname references a song that's over 20 years old...drink twice!
• Every time an ESPN analyst confuses Jake and Chris Long...drink!
• Every time Emmitt Smith uses a word that isn't actually a word...drink!
• Every time you hear the word "spygate"...drink!
• Every time Chris Mortensen "breaks" a story...drink!
• If an analyst talks about the potential of Bengals WR Chad Johnson getting traded...drink!
• Every time someone mentions that Tom Brady was drafted in the sixth round...drink!

The St. Louis Rams appear to have narrowed down their first-round draft pick options to four players: Ohio State defensive end Vernon Gholston, Michigan offensive tackle Jake Long, Virginia defensive end Chris Long and LSU defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey.

At least, that's the conclusion we can draw from today's report in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (via PFT) that those four players are coming in for a visit. The Rams own the second pick in the draft, and they're likely to take which ever one of those four players is highest on their draft board and hasn't already been taken with the first pick by the Dolphins.

Theoretically, it's possible that they could even start talking contract with those players if the Dolphins sign the first pick in the draft before draft day. Miami is already negotiating with Gholston and with Jake Long and could sign one of them within the next 10 days. There's also at least a theoretical possibility that they'll have their pick of all four of those players, either if the Dolphins pick someone else (unlikely) or if the Dolphins don't pick at all (also unlikelky).

Given the Rams' needs on the offensive line, Jake Long would seem to be the best option of the group. But he also looks, right now, like the Dolphins' top choice. One way or another, it seems safe to say that Jake Long's name will have been called before the draft is half an hour old.

For a number of reasons, the run up to the 2008 NFL Draft is shaping up to be less exciting than previous years. At least for me, anyway. Maybe it's because the draft-weekend schedule has been rearranged and the start has been delayed three hours; or maybe it has something to do with no clear-cut Reggie Bush-type player at the top of the board (although that really hasn't worked out so well); or maybe it's because I'm a Steelers fan and there's no chance in hell they land Branden Albert. Yep, let's go with that last one.

Anyway, one storyline potentially be worth watching: who's the last guy out of the green room? FanHouse's Michael David Smith noted yesterday that six players have been invited to New York City for the draft: Matt Ryan, Jake and Chris Long, Vernon Gholston, Glenn Dorsey and Darren McFadden. He thinks Ryan could be this year's Brady Quinn (sans the dreamy "Traficant"), but Hashmarks' Matt Mosley has another name:

Out of this group, who has the most potential for dropping out of the top six? ... I'm starting to hear rumblings that the Raiders might take Gholston at No. 4. And if the Jets have to choose between McFadden and Chris Long (this could totally happen) at No. 6, they're going with Long. So who finally scoops up McFadden?

Yesterday, FanHouse's Michael David Smith noted that the Dolphins were negotiating with Michigan left tackle Jake Long to be the first-overall pick. For fans, getting a deal done before the draft is anticlimactic; for Miami, it's one less thing they have to worry about heading into the 2008 season.

And although the Miami Herald's Jeff Darlington wrote yesterday that the team hasn't had contract discussions with Virginia defensive end Chris Long, today the Sun Sentinel's Omar Kelly reports that Ohio State defensive end Vernon Gholston is now in the mix too.

Official contract negotiations with Michigan offensive tackle Jake Long, and Ohio State defensive end Vernon Gholston were started this week, according to a source. Coincidentally, Long and Gholston are represented by the same agency, CAA, but have different agents.

Kelly points out that in addition to J. Long and Gholston, the Dolphins are seriously considering three other players for the top pick: C. Long, Matt Ryan and Glenn Dorsey. And in case you're curious: Miami hasn't "even sniffed at" the thought of taking Darren McFadden. So Al Davis can quit trying to figure out a way to trade up to the top pick.

The NFL has invited LSU defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey, Ohio State defensive end Vernon Gholston, Virginia defensive end Chris Long, Michigan offensive tackle Jake Long, Arkansas running back Darren McFadden and Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan.to attend this year's draft.

All six players have accepted the invitation to hear Commissioner Roger Goodell call their names in person, stroll onto the stage at Radio City Music Hall, put on a baseball cap and hold up their new team's jersey. It might seem like a no brainer that the players would agree to show up, but last year Wisconsin offensive tackle Joe Thomas decided to skip the draft to go fishing. The Browns chose Thomas third overall.

Also last year, Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn ended up wishing he had skipped the draft to go fishing; he lasted a few hours longer than he thought he would before the Browns finally chose him 22nd overall. I don't think any of the six players at this year's draft will last that long, but of those six my money is on Ryan to be the last off the board.

With more than two weeks to go before the NFL Draft, the Miami Dolphins are negotiating with Michigan offensive tackle Jake Long to be the first overall pick and could agree to a contract with him before the draft takes place, Jeff Darlington of the Miami Herald is reporting.

As the owners of the first pick, the Dolphins are the only team permitted to engage in contract negotiations with draft prospects, and as I've written before, I think the smart move is to begin those negotiations in advance. Reaching a contract agreement before the draft is the only way to ensure the first pick won't hold out all through training camp, the preseason and into the regular season, as Raiders quarterback JaMarcus Russell did last year.

According to Darlington, the Dolphins have had contract talks with Jake Long but not with Virginia defensive end Chris Long, strongly suggesting that Jake Long is the top prospect on their draft board.

I can only imagine the outrage among Chiefs' fans if Roger Goodell steps to the podium on April 26 and announces Matt Ryan as the team's newest player. But that's who NFL Network's Mike Mayock has Kansas City taking with the fifth-overall pick.

This isn't to say Ryan's not a potential franchise quarterback -- depending on who you listen to, he's the only one in this year's draft -- but that Kansas City has myriad other needs, starting with the offensive line.

Earlier this year, Chiefs president Carl Peterson admitted that he let the o-line get old, and you'd have to think he'd like to remedy that problem as soon as possible.

Dan Benton has the Chiefs taking Ryan Clady in the FanHouse mock draft, but Mayock, on Friday's "Path to the Draft", suggested that it would be a stretch to take any lineman but Jake Long with such a high pick. (And Mayock has Long going second overall to the Rams).

Pretty awesome courtside interview with Jason Taylor last night at the Lakers - Mavs game. It's "pretty awesome" because Lisa Salters calls him a "rumpshaker" right off the bat and then quizzes him about the MVP race (2:00) to which he responds that Kobe is the only answer because LeBron has had a good year, and there are "some other" people in the NBA that are good, but, come on, it's freaking Kobe Bryant. He also talks about the physical hardships of Dancing with the Stars versus the NFL and then gives his very neutered opinion on who the Dolphins should take with the first pick of the NFL draft.



He must have caught some flak for wanting Brady Quinn last year. Clearly Ted Ginn stuck it in his face when he caught all those touchdowns. And someone send a Chris Paul highlight reel to the ABC studios. [/thematic shameless CP3 promotion]