Kyle Long comes from an impressive NFL pedigree; His father is NFL Hall of Famer Howie Long and his brother Chris plays for the St. Louis Rams. Couple that with his impressive size and athleticism, and the fact that he only played one season at Oregon isn’t such a big deal anymore. Long might have gotten lost from the public eye a bit because of the deep level of talent at the tackle position this year, but after a strong showing at the combine; people are starting to take notice of him once again. That said, let’s take a look at eDraft’s scouting report.
| Ht | Wt | Class | Ranking | Projection |
| 6'6" | 311 | Senior | 72 | Second Round |
Strengths
Size: At 6’6” and 311 pounds, Long has prototypical size for an offensive tackle in the NFL. His long arms (33 ? inches) and big hands (11”) give him the length necessary to contain edge rushers and even push around two lineman at once.
Mobility: For his size, Long is very agile and possesses great mobility; which he showed off with his impressive 4.94 second 40-yard dash at the combine. He also showed great footwork in the three-cone drill, turning in a 7.83 second time.
Flexibility: Long possesses amazing flexibility for his size, which allows him to get low, twist his hips and use his long arms to engage defenders throughout the play.
Weaknesses
Lack of Experience: When Long’s baseball career didn’t pan out (he was drafted by the White Sox in 2008) and things didn’t go well in his brief stint at Florida State, he eventually turned to football and was part of an amazing offensive line at Oregon that only allowed 19 sacks last year. Long has only played one season of meaningful college football so there will be a bit of a learning curve at the NFL level.
Downfield Blocking: After watching all of Long’s games at Oregon, the one knock I have on his game is his inability to block linebackers downfield on a regular basis. He often throws himself at them too soon and misses or doesn’t make significant contact. With his speed and ability to stay ahead of the running back downfield, Long definitely needs to improve his ability to successfully hit the second and third blocks downfield.
Bottom Line
Long is an athletic freak and it’s hard to imagine how high his ceiling can go. His lack of experience in college shouldn’t turn too many teams off, especially with his pedigree. He has very few glaring problems with his game currently and will only continue to grow and iron out the wrinkles as he gains more experience at the NFL level. Coming straight out of college, Long will be best suited to play right tackle or guard but could eventually move to left tackle.