The Tennessee Titans had defense in mind when they were making selections in the 2019 NFL Draft, making four of their six picks to bolster this side of the ball.
One of these was former West Virginia linebacker David Long Jr., chosen with the No. 188 overall pick in the sixth round.
Here are six things to know about the former Mountaineer.
1. He was the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year in 2018.
On his junior season, Long was named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year. He started all 12 contests and led his team with 111 tackles, 19 for loss, seven sacks, four pass breakups and forced one fumble.
He was effective in his first two seasons as well, recording 141 tackles, 21 tackles for loss and six sacks.
2. Long Jr. wasn’t the only player from his high school selected in the 2019 NFL Draft.
Before joining the Mountaineers to continue his football career at the college level, Long Jr. played for Winton Woods High School team.
His former teammate, Kentucky safety Mike Edwards, was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the third-round.
3. He’s a bit undersized.
At 6-foot, 226 pounds, Long Jr. is smaller than most other players at his position.
This hasn’t stopped him from being an impact player though, and Titans head coach Mike Vrabel isn’t bothered by it either.
“We are very comfortable with where we are with Jayon Brown and his development as a linebacker,” he said. “I would say that David would probably fit similar to Jayon’s size. As long as you give the guy, the player, enough tools in his tool box to play with his skillset and then try to develop some other things around it, I think that is always something that we are trying to do.”
4. He’s already a fan of Mike Vrabel’s coaching style.
Long Jr. may just be taking his first steps into the NFL, but he’s excited about moving forward with Vrabel as his head coach.
He noted the way he looks at film and his straightforwardness as two traits he was a fan of.
“Being able to be coached by Mike Vrabel, that’s a great thing to be a part of,” he said. “I got to know more about him during the Senior Bowl because I had a formal (interview) with the Titans, and to see the way he looks at film, he is really straightforward and is the type of coach who is going to look to make you better, and that’s what I look forward to.”
5. He’s the son of a heavyweight boxer.
Long Jr. isn’t the only athlete in his family.
David Long Sr. had a career as a professional boxer who went 15-5-2 as a heavyweight. He went up against boxers like Deontay Wilder, who knocked him out before going on to be a world champion.
Long Jr. says he considered pursuing boxing in his younger years, but had more of a love for football and basketball.
6. He was a Butkus Award semifinalist in 2018.
Long Jr. has a long list of accomplishments in his junior year of college, including becoming a semifinalist for the Butkus Award.
The honor is given to the nation’s top linebackers at the high school, collegiate and professional levels of the sport.
LSU’s Devin White ultimately ended up taking home the award.
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