Rien Long is gonna be there in the second round at least...

[Tatonka]

NFL | Long Workout Details - posted at KFFL (http://nfl.kffl.com)
10:47 PT: Washington State DT Rien Long's agent, Ralph Cindrich, has confirmed to KFFL that Long was clocked at 5.1 in the 40-yard dash, 7.09 in the three-cone drill, 4.47 in the short shuttle, 9-foot-0 1/2 broad jump and had a 29" vertical jump. He measured in at 6-foot-6 and 303 pounds.


this guy just bombed at his workout.. just like bouldin..

he has showed no strength.. HORRIBLE speed.. bad technique... he should have stayed in school another year..

his stock is dropping quickly..

very surprised by this..

that said.. as a second round pick, i might not have issues..

[Tatonka]

a lot of people have use taking him in the first..

23 (23) Bills Rien Long DT Wash. St.
(from Atlanta) Bills officials, even after signing Sam Adams, will use this pick on the best-available defensive tackle. Long has great quickness and upfield skills but lacks ideal lower-body strength to hold his ground against the run.


War Room analysis
Vs. the run: Has decent size and strength. Is a penetrator; gets upfield and disrupts. Has good initial quickness and good recognition skills. Finds the ball in the backfield, and shows good change-of-direction skills. Chases down the ball. Is tall, but plays with consistent leverage. Lacks great bulk. Knee and shoulder injuries have affected his ability to control gaps and take on double teams. Can be disruptive on the move, but struggles in a gap-control scheme. Grade: 8.0.

Pass rush: Is the best pass-rushing defensive tackle in this class. Shows terrific initial quickness, and anticipates the snap. Has good burst through the line and great speed. Shows good closing quickness and big-play flair. Shows improved pass-rush moves. Has adequate upper-body strength, and uses "swim" and "rip" moves well to get penetration. Grade: 8.7.

Initial quickness: Wins most battles with a quick first step. Does a terrific job of anticipating the snap. Has explosive initial power and great upper-body quickness. Grade: 8.5.

Run/pass recognition: Shows good recognition skills. Is a one-gap penetrator who always is working to get upfield and find the ball. Shows good change-of-direction skills to make plays after piercing the line. Grade: 8.0.

Pursuit/tackling: Makes a lot of plays on the move. Is a fluid athlete, and has above-average speed. Shows good closing burst to the ball. Plays under control, and shows good change-of-direction skills and body control. Is able to stop and start quickly. Is a powerful tackler with some big-play flair. Is an adequate open-field tackler. Grade: 8.4.

Bottom line: Long, the 2002 Outland Trophy winner, was a late-entry to '03 draft but figures to be selected in the middle of the first round. Long played through a knee injury in '02 and might need arthroscopic surgery. He also has had shoulder surgery in the past. Long is a one-gap penetrator with adequate size but great quickness and explosiveness. If he can stay healthy, he has a chance to be an impact starter.

Dan Pompei analysis
Highly productive junior was the Outland Trophy winner as the nation's best defensive lineman. Had 13 sacks and 21 1/2 tackles for a loss. Never stops hustling. Gets off the snap well and penetrates. Is crafty. Plays tall, and gets driven back at times. Is a mechanical athlete. Isn't physical. Has the frame to hold more weight. Could be moved to end.
Pompei DT ranking: No. 6.

[Billz_fan]

He is tall and quick with not much top end speed. I worry about his legs though.

I think he is a good player but a bit of a project. Im still deciding if I want him in the 2nd round :D I have a feeling though that someone else is gonna gamble on him before that.

With all Tampa Bays success last season on the D line we could see a run on D lineman this draft. Not a bad thing certainly as it would open up some great atheletes who might not have been around otherwise when the Bills pick :up:

[Stewie]

No way this guy lasts till our second round pick, and no way we shouldn't draft him if by some miracle he does... Screw stats. Give me game production any day.

Don't we have technology these days to use cameras and computers to track player movement on the field? That could lead to a whole new set of in game statistics, and we could finally throw out combine workout crap. I mean, if teams are gonna invest million dollar signing bonuses every year can't they ante up for a couple sun 4500's and a hundred nice video cameras?

I mean, come on guys. No DT is gonna catch anyone from behind in a straight race, whether he runs a 5.1 or a 4.8 or whatever.

[venis2k1]

The idea behind a fast DT(besides pass rush) is not to catch plays from behind(even though it happens alot more than you would think) but to move sideline to sideline.

[Stewie]

It happens when the guy with the ball has to make moves to avoid tacklers. Obviously I agree that happens quite a bit, but in that case there's so many variables that come into effect.. No matter what tho, a DT is not ever going to be in a situation (or able) to sprint 40 yards, chasing the ball carrier, without having to move over, around or between somebody, which is why I think a 40 yard dash for them is rediculous. The sideline to sideline is important, but it's not the only thing. The guy also won't need to go more than 30 yards laterally unless its an end around or reverse.

[TedMock]

5.1 40 time is actually not that bad for a 300 pounder. He's 10 pounds lighter than PW, what do you think he runs?

[Tatonka]

i guarentee you PW runs faster than a 5.1...

i am just saying. his thing was he was supposed to be very fast, but not strong.. now he is showing that he is not fast or strong..

and he plays too upright.. great.. he had 13 sacks against college guys that dont compair to nfl talent..

i am not so high on this guy at all.. even prior to his piss poor workouts.

[EDS]

No way does Pat Williams run under 5.1 in the forty. He probably had poor workouts too. After all, there has to be a reason he was not even drafted!

[Ingtar33]

Raw...

I don't think better words were ever spoken about Long... when they talk about his legs they are making the comment (which I have made) that he might be too weak (lower body) to play a 2-gap defensive system.

So you know... I was supposed to be in Washington for the workout (last Friday), but our GM decided he'd like a better look at him... but the word I got was that Long will have to have surgery on his knee... furthermore not many people were too concerned about his performances... in fact his cone drill numbers were faster than most LBer's, which shows terrific lateral movement and acceleration. Furthermore his physical numbers were "good" for a guy his size... just not spectacular.

Will he fall to the second round? Maybe... but he wouldn't fall to our pick in the second... he'll be nabbed by one of the top 10 second round picks (probably Minn or Detroit)

[Tatonka]

do u like him, ing?

[Ingtar33]

Yes... he's a great pass rusher for a guy of his size... his technique hurts him against the run... but his frame could handle another 20 or 30 pounds with no loss of strength or mobility. He's a big guy, with good quickness & pass rushing skills. Technique can be taught, pass rush instincts can't.

If he was given over to a good strength and conditioning coach, then add him to a good DL coach... he could be one heck of a diamond in the rough. But the trick is this will be his second knee op in two years (on the same knee)... and he IS raw... I'd have difficulty picking him in the first round... I'd take him early second without a doubt.