2021 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Hunter Long

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Hunter Long, 6-5/253 Tight End Boston College

Hunter Long Scouting Report
By Charlie Campbell

Strengths:

Good height, length

Functional underneath receiver

Very good at winning contested catches

Big frame

Body control

Body awareness to box out defenders

Good reliable hands

High points the ball well

Size mismatch versus safeties

Presents a big target

Red-zone contributor

Has the frame to be a blocker

Starting Y tight end potential

Weaknesses:

Lacks speed

Not sudden

Struggles to separate from man coverage, especially press

Will really struggle to separate in the NFL

Not special after the catch

Needs to improve as a blocker

Not overly physical as a blocker

Needs to add strength

Decent, but not a great, athlete

Summary: Boston College has produced a lot of prospects in recent years who despite lacking elite physical talent are tough football players for the NFL. Long will continue that tradition in the 2021 NFL Draft after posting two straight quality seasons of play for the Eagles. In 2019, he caught 28 passes for 509 yards with two touchdowns. He was just scratching the surface, as he then totaled 57 receptions for 685 yards and five touchdowns in 2020.

In the passing game, Long has good size does an excellent job of winning contested catches. He uses his build to wall off defenders with skilled body control and awareness to put himself in between the ball and the coverage. Long has soft reliable hands and good concentration to secure the catch while defenders are initiating contact. Long is a good red-zone contributor who functions well on underneath routes as a result. Going down the seam and along the sideline, Long is a weapon to make catches over defenders when nothing else is open.



Long had issues separating from coverage in college, and that will only be a bigger issue in the NFL. He is not fast and lacks the speed to run by defensive backs or outside linebacker. Long is also not sudden or explosive with his route-running to generate separation, so he is going to have to be a tight end who wins on contested catches while also serving as an underneath outlet receiver. He also could be functional to attack zone coverage.

As a blocker, Long has room for improvement for the NFL, but he has the skill set to eventually go into being a good blocker. Long’s blocking potential is partially held back by his need to add strength to pack more of a punch and sustain his blocks. He gives a solid effort, but for taking on NFL edge rushers and outside linebackers, he will need to fill out his frame with more power to engage them. Thus, Long may need a year or two as a backup before developing into a potential starter.

Long could go as high as the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft, and he probably won’t go lower than the fourth round. Long has the ability to develop into a starting NFL Y tight end once he gets stronger and tougher as a blocker.



Player Comparison: C.J. Fiedorowicz. Long reminds me of C.J. Fiedorowicz coming out of Iowa and how he played with the Texans. Feidorowicz (6-5, 265) was a quality blocker who could contribute as a receiver and was a solid pro before concussions ended his career early. Fiedorowicz was a third-round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, and Long could go in the same range in the 2021 NFL Draft.

2021 NFL Draft Player Previews - Choose Player 2021 NFL Draft Player Previews - Home Paulson Adebo, CB, Stanford Tutu Atwell, WR, Louisville Jhamon Ausbon, WR, Texas A&M Aaron Banks, G, Notre Dame Christian Barmore, DT, Alabama Carlos Basham, DE, Wake Forest Rashod Bateman, WR, Minnesota Nick Bolton, LB, Missouri Baron Browning, LB, Ohio State Dyami Brown, WR, North Carolina Spencer Brown, OT, Northern Iowa Tyson Campbell, CB, Georgia Jackson Carman, OT, Clemson Ja'Marr Chase, WR, LSU Andre Cisco, S, Syracuse Zaven Collins, LB, Tulsa Sam Cosmi, OT, Texas Jabril Cox, LB, LSU Christian Darrisaw, OT, Virginia Tech Jamin Davis, LB, Kentucky Wyatt Davis, G, Ohio State Landon Dickerson, C, Alabama Liam Eichenberg, OT, Notre Dame D'Wayne Eskridge, WR, Western Michigan Travis Etienne, RB, Clemson Caleb Farley, CB, Virginia Tech Justin Fields, QB, Ohio State Paris Ford, S, Pittsburgh Pat Freiermuth, TE, Penn State Kenny Gainwell, RB, Memphis Richie Grant, S, Central Florida Najee Harris, RB, Alabama Kylin Hill, RB, Mississippi State Trey Hill, C, Georgia Jevon Holland, S, Oregon Jaycee Horn, CB, South Carolina James Hudson, OT, Cincinnati Talanoa Hufanga, S, USC Creed Humphrey, C, Oklahoma Teven Jenkins, OT, Oklahoma State Mac Jones, QB, Alabama Patrick Jones, DE, Pittsburgh Brevin Jordan, TE, Miami Kelvin Joseph, CB, Kentucky Trey Lance, QB, North Dakota State Trevor Lawrence, QB, Clemson Alex Leatherwood, OT, Alabama Walker Little, OT, Stanford Hunter Long, TE, Boston College Terrace Marshall Jr., WR, LSU Jalen Mayfield, OT, Michigan Tre' McKitty, TE, Georgia Davis Mills, QB, Stanford Trevon Moehrig, S, TCU Elijah Molden, CB, Washington Kellen Mond, QB, Texas A&M Dan Moore Jr., OT, Texas A&M Elijah Moore, WR, Ole Miss Rondale Moore, WR, Purdue Dylan Moses, LB, Alabama Israel Mukuamu, CB, South Carolina Jamie Newman, QB, Wake Forest Greg Newsome, CB, Northwestern Daviyon Nixon, DT, Iowa Dayo Odeyingbo, DE, Vanderbilt Osa Odighizuwa, DT, UCLA Azeez Ojulari, LB, Georgia Levi Onwuzurike, DT, Washington Joseph Ossai, LB, Texas Jayson Oweh, DE, Penn State Jeremiah Owusu-Koromoah, LB, Notre Dame Micah Parsons, LB, Penn State Kwity Paye, DE, Michigan Ronnie Perkins, OLB, Oklahoma Jaelan Phillips, DE, Miami Kyle Pitts, TE, Florida Dillon Radunz, OT, North Dakota Aaron Robinson, CB, Central Florida Quincy Roche, OLB, Miami Larry Rountree, RB, Missouri Gregory Rousseau, DE, Miami Asante Samuel Jr., CB, Florida State Trey Sermon, RB, Ohio State Penei Sewell, OT, Oregon Tyler Shelvin, DT, LSU Rashawn Slater, C, Northwestern DeVonta Smith, WR, Alabama D'Ante Smith, OT, East Carolina Trey Smith, G, Tennessee Marquez Stevenson, WR, Houston Rhamondre Stevenson, RB, Oklahoma Eric Stokes, CB, Georgia Chazz Surratt, LB, North Carolina Sage Surratt, WR, Wake Forest Patrick Surtain, CB, Alabama Tamorrion Terry, WR, Florida State Kadarius Toney, WR, Florida Kyle Trask, QB, Florida Joe Tryon, DE, Washington Jay Tufele, DT, USC Payton Turner, DE, Houston T.J. Vasher, WR, Texas Tech Alijah Vera-Tucker, OT, USC Jaylen Waddle, WR, Alabama Tylan Wallace, WR, Oklahoma State Rashad Weaver, DE, Pittsburgh Javonte Williams, RB, North Carolina Rodarius Williams, CB, Oklahoma State Marvin Wilson, DT, Florida State Zach Wilson, QB, BYU

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