Rams continue to add depth to secondary after drafting David Long

The Los Angeles Rams continue to add players to the secondary after selecting cornerback David Long at No. 79 in the 2019 NFL Draft.

With the 79th pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, the Los Angeles Rams decided to add depth to the cornerback position by selecting David Long out of Michigan.

Long fits the profile of many players that Los Angeles tends to draft.

Heady with a high football IQ. Aggressive. Highly committed to playing and learning the game of football.

Long has decent speed (he ran a 4.45 40 yard dash) and slightly below average size at 5’10” and 196 pounds.

It is good that the Rams are adding depth to their defensive backfield. Both cornerbacks in Aqib Talib and Marcus Peters are free agents after next season.

Talib’s days may be numbered, as he is already 33-years-old. It is possible they bring him back for another season, but it’s certainly no guarantee.

Meanwhile, Peters is a player the Rams have said they would like to sign to a long-term deal, but cost and streaky play could make that difficult.

Long comes in with the potential to play snaps and grow, potentially taking over a starting role in a couple years.

Believe it or not, Long is a Los Angeles native, and played his high school ball at Loyola High.

After going to Michigan, he started his last two years with the Wolverines, and played a “bump and run” style in college, regularly getting physical at the line of scrimmage.

Long’s starts are a bit underwhelming (only three interceptions in college), but reports are that he was rarely tested by opposing quarterbacks.

At the end of the day, Long is a bit of a developmental talent, but does add depth to a defensive back room at a position where you can never have enough talented bodies.

The Rams currently have only one pick left on Day 2 of the draft, the 101st pick overall.

There remains some good receivers left, such as Hakeem Butler and Riley Ridley, but that remains a bit of a luxury position for the Rams, who seem to be plenty deep at receiver and tend to only play their starters.

Will the Rams go best player available, or will they finally address a need at edge, linebacker, or offensive line?

Remember that the team had great faith in offensive line coach Aaron Kromer to coach up talent from the middle rounds into quality starters, so it will be interesting to see how the final picks play out for Los Angeles.