After hearing Sean McVay say the Rams would’ve felt “comfortable” taking Taylor Rapp at No. 31 overall in the draft, it’s hard not to feel he was a steal at No. 61. He was a terrific value pick in the second round, but he wasn’t the only steal for the Rams.
Michael Renner of Pro Football Focus says getting David Long at No. 79 overall was one of the best values in the draft. Renner had Long ranked 33rd on his big board, which shows how high he was on the Michigan cornerback.
Instead of plugging needs, the Rams had the luxury of taking some backups who will be future starters on Day 2. Long allowed only 18 catches his entire college career although he’ll have to get up to speed with any sort of off-coverage in the NFL.
Long excels in press-man coverage, which is why Renner points out that he’ll have a learning curve when it comes to playing off receivers. Wade Phillips loves to put his cornerbacks in man coverage, but with Aqib Talib out and Marcus Peters struggling last season, the Rams went more zone-heavy.
It remains to be seen if the defense will stay that way in 2019, but Long is undeniably better when he can jam receivers at the line and follow them in man coverage. Regardless of how the Rams use him, he was a tremendous value in the third round.
