Player Profile: Kyle Long

Kyle Long

Height:  6'6
Weight:  313
School:  Oregon
Position:  Guard
Rank:  #4 Guard
Projection:  2nd Round

Strengths
-Ideal Frame for an offensive tackle.
-Huge hands (11") used to control defenders
-Very good athlete for his size.  Ran the third fastest 40 time for an offensive lineman (4.94)
-Does a excellent job pulling and trapping.  Uses athletic ability to attack defenders in space.
-Uses good quickness to fire off the ball and attack defensive lineman
-Active feet that never stop
-Finishes blocks.  Plays through the whistle
-Displays that nasty demeanor you love from a guard
-Uses good technique to get the job done.
-Good conditioning.  Isn't going to wear down over the course of a game
-Very coachable.  Takes stuff like a sponge
-Good linage.  Brother and father both play(ed) in the NFL

Weaknesses
-Shorter arms than you'd want from a tackle (33")
-Left Florida State because of off the field issues
-Needs to get stronger.  Lacks a strong anchor
-Inexperienced.  Started college career as a baseball player
-Was moved from tackle to guard because of struggles

Summary
Kyle Long is one of the  most intriguing prospects in this draft.  Long has the length and athletic ability that you need to play Left Tackle in the NFL.  However is best suited to play guard because he doesn't have the longest arms and has struggled to mirror defenders which caused Oregon to move him inside to guard.  At guard he seemed more natural and uses his quickness and athletic ability to beat defenders and create a clean pocket and open up running lanes.  Long also had surprisingly good technique for somebody with less experience and used that technique to take defenders out of the play.  Oregon also took advantage of that and pulled Long on a consistent basis.  Long does a great job of getting out and finding defenders in the open field and making good contact with them.  Look for whatever NFL team lands him to do much the same.  The biggest draw back to Kyle Long is his lack of overall strength.  But he should get stronger since he is still developing.  Look for Kyle to be drafted somewhere in the early 2nd round, but it may not be a shock to see him go in the late 1st if a team feels they can move him outside to tackle.  However Kyle's best fit may be in a zone blocking scheme that could take advantage of his athletic ability.