Analysis
Positives: Has a thick frame with good upper-body muscle tone, long arms, wide hips, thick thighs and calves...Also has room on his frame to add at least another 20 pounds of bulk without having the added weight impact his overall quickness...Shows good quickness and body control for a player of his size...Take-charge type and field leader who plays with good field awareness and is an aggressive blocker who has the knowledge to call blocking adjustments up front...Sound technically and can be a drive blocker who shows good explosion in his initial step off the snap...Keeps his balance working into the second level and has a wide leg base in his pass set...Good second-effort blocker who stays with his man throughout the whistle, but also shows the vision to locate secondary targets...Plays with a mean streak, looking to constantly finish his man off...Never takes a play off and drives through the defender with good intent and force...Easily digests a complicated playbook and makes good field adjustments to twists and games...Rarely makes a mental error and is very alert on the field...Vocal team captain who will not hesitate to take a teammate to task...Has a true passion for the game, playing with a warrior-like mentality...Hard worker who will do anything the coaches ask and is a model for good work ethic, especially in the weight room...Uses his long reach and size to neutralize edge rushers (see 2007 Michigan State, Illinois and Florida games), doing a solid job of reaching and sealing the "seven" technique...Has the ability to get under the defender's pads and dominate with his hand jolt, but does lack ideal explosion...His hand punch will consistently shock and jolt the defender...Adequate in attempts to stay on his feet moving down the line and is effective at handling the switch-off...Will jolt the defenders on contact with his hands, locking on to steer out and work his man off the line...Drive blocks with excellent leverage and is consistent at moving the pile (see 2007 Northwestern, Eastern Michigan, Purdue and Florida games)...When he stays square in his base, he shows the footwork to get in front on traps and pulls...Very good with his reach-and-scoop skills, when he sinks his weight and stays low in his pads (better at gaining advantage and sealing off when getting movement on double teams)...Can locate and land in short space but isn't as effective on the long pull...Lacks timed speed, but is efficient at locating linebackers when asked to work into the second level...Very quick to set and recoil with his hands, showing good knee bend setting up in pass protection...Has no problems handling movement and is quick to react to stunts and blitzes...Does a good job of staying on his feet working in-line, where he can wall off and position with ease...Gets good movement in his drive blocks and, while he is a little tight in his hips, he works hard to take good angles and recover in his pass set...Can run his feet, stay up and sustain his blocks, showing aggression throughout his play...Works to finish and is patient on the pull, breaking down and staying under control at the second level...Can sink his hips and redirect, coming off the double team with good balance and anchor...Uses his hands like weapons in attempts to pick up stunts and can also catch the defender with his big mitts...Sees threats quickly and stays square in his base to absorb the edge rusher.
Negatives: A little tight in his hips, lacking ideal lateral agility in his kick-slide and can struggle when having to immediately change direction (will take false steps)...Has a strong hand punch, but tends to get them outside his frame, causing him to whiff a lot on a quick pass set (inconsistent placement)...Best operating in a short area, as he does show some balance issues when asked to run long distances...Needs to show better explosion off the snap when engaging defenders, but does compensate with a strong hand punch...When he gets too high in his stance, his base narrows and he will revert to over-extending in attempts to position and sustain...Must unlock his hips and explode more often into the defender, as he prefers to use his size to engulf or hands to sustain rather than blow up the defender (better earlier in games)...More effective working on an island with an edge rusher, as his lack of ideal hip swerve will see him allow inside penetration.
Compares To: JAMAAL BROWN-New Orleans...Like Brown, Long is a mauler with excellent drive-blocking skills. He compensates for a lack of explosion by taking good angles to adjust to movement and has the big hands and upper-body strength to consistently walk his man off the line. He shows the kick-step to mirror edge rushers, but does allow some inside penetration with his sluggish hip swerve working in-line. In a game plan that features physical drive blocking, Long is a perfect fit. But, if you put him in a zone-blocking formation, he lacks the lateral agility needed to mirror inside movement.
http://www.nfl.com/draft/profiles/jake-long?id=278
Positives: Has a thick frame with good upper-body muscle tone, long arms, wide hips, thick thighs and calves...Also has room on his frame to add at least another 20 pounds of bulk without having the added weight impact his overall quickness...Shows good quickness and body control for a player of his size...Take-charge type and field leader who plays with good field awareness and is an aggressive blocker who has the knowledge to call blocking adjustments up front...Sound technically and can be a drive blocker who shows good explosion in his initial step off the snap...Keeps his balance working into the second level and has a wide leg base in his pass set...Good second-effort blocker who stays with his man throughout the whistle, but also shows the vision to locate secondary targets...Plays with a mean streak, looking to constantly finish his man off...Never takes a play off and drives through the defender with good intent and force...Easily digests a complicated playbook and makes good field adjustments to twists and games...Rarely makes a mental error and is very alert on the field...Vocal team captain who will not hesitate to take a teammate to task...Has a true passion for the game, playing with a warrior-like mentality...Hard worker who will do anything the coaches ask and is a model for good work ethic, especially in the weight room...Uses his long reach and size to neutralize edge rushers (see 2007 Michigan State, Illinois and Florida games), doing a solid job of reaching and sealing the "seven" technique...Has the ability to get under the defender's pads and dominate with his hand jolt, but does lack ideal explosion...His hand punch will consistently shock and jolt the defender...Adequate in attempts to stay on his feet moving down the line and is effective at handling the switch-off...Will jolt the defenders on contact with his hands, locking on to steer out and work his man off the line...Drive blocks with excellent leverage and is consistent at moving the pile (see 2007 Northwestern, Eastern Michigan, Purdue and Florida games)...When he stays square in his base, he shows the footwork to get in front on traps and pulls...Very good with his reach-and-scoop skills, when he sinks his weight and stays low in his pads (better at gaining advantage and sealing off when getting movement on double teams)...Can locate and land in short space but isn't as effective on the long pull...Lacks timed speed, but is efficient at locating linebackers when asked to work into the second level...Very quick to set and recoil with his hands, showing good knee bend setting up in pass protection...Has no problems handling movement and is quick to react to stunts and blitzes...Does a good job of staying on his feet working in-line, where he can wall off and position with ease...Gets good movement in his drive blocks and, while he is a little tight in his hips, he works hard to take good angles and recover in his pass set...Can run his feet, stay up and sustain his blocks, showing aggression throughout his play...Works to finish and is patient on the pull, breaking down and staying under control at the second level...Can sink his hips and redirect, coming off the double team with good balance and anchor...Uses his hands like weapons in attempts to pick up stunts and can also catch the defender with his big mitts...Sees threats quickly and stays square in his base to absorb the edge rusher.
Negatives: A little tight in his hips, lacking ideal lateral agility in his kick-slide and can struggle when having to immediately change direction (will take false steps)...Has a strong hand punch, but tends to get them outside his frame, causing him to whiff a lot on a quick pass set (inconsistent placement)...Best operating in a short area, as he does show some balance issues when asked to run long distances...Needs to show better explosion off the snap when engaging defenders, but does compensate with a strong hand punch...When he gets too high in his stance, his base narrows and he will revert to over-extending in attempts to position and sustain...Must unlock his hips and explode more often into the defender, as he prefers to use his size to engulf or hands to sustain rather than blow up the defender (better earlier in games)...More effective working on an island with an edge rusher, as his lack of ideal hip swerve will see him allow inside penetration.
Compares To: JAMAAL BROWN-New Orleans...Like Brown, Long is a mauler with excellent drive-blocking skills. He compensates for a lack of explosion by taking good angles to adjust to movement and has the big hands and upper-body strength to consistently walk his man off the line. He shows the kick-step to mirror edge rushers, but does allow some inside penetration with his sluggish hip swerve working in-line. In a game plan that features physical drive blocking, Long is a perfect fit. But, if you put him in a zone-blocking formation, he lacks the lateral agility needed to mirror inside movement.
http://www.nfl.com/draft/profiles/jake-long?id=278
