Player Spotlight; Jake Long

Player Spotlight; Jake Long

Many thought Jake Long made a poor decision last year when he chose not to declare for the 2007 Draft. With the up and down year for Michigan the one constant was Long and while he may not have seen a dramatic rise in his potential draft position teams will feel like he is a sure thing and he will be on a lot of draft boards.

*Jake Long, Offensive Tackle, Michigan*
Senior, 6-7, 315

*Strengths:* Run blocking
*Weaknesses:* Open field speed

*Technique:* A classic mauler who uses strength and great technique to not only beat his opponents but make them look really bad while doing so.

*Known Injuries:* Long suffered a severe leg injury as a sophomore which caused him to miss half a season and he has had some minor back problems over the last year.

*Combine / Workout Assessment:* Coming Soon.

*DJ Boyer's Analysis:* Long started the year as the top prospect coming into this draft and he is ending the season in a virtual deadlock with Boise State junior Ryan Clady for being the first tackle off the board. Long looks to be a top 15 lock, about the same position he would have been drafted last year had he declared after his junior season at Michigan. What is so impressive about Long is half the time when watching him at Michigan you knew what the play was going to be. Mike Hart was going to run behind Jake Long and teams still couldn’t stop it. The Michigan victory against Penn State early in the season the team relied heavily upon hart and Long and it may have been the most dominating performace I saw by a lineman in years. Long doesn’t have blazing open field speed and he looks a little think for his long and tall frame. But Long is great in tight spaces and when close with defenders. He is nearly impossible to push backwards and is the kind of blocker you want to run behind in short yardage situations. Long will need to improve the consistency of his pass protection, he is better in close contact with defenders when run blocking but works best with his arms extended and getting as much space between he and defenders when in pass protection. To me Long is not only the best tackle prospect in this draft but one of the best overall prospects available and he could come into this league with the same type of bang we saw from Joe Thomas in Cleveland this season.

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