David Long Jr.

David Lamont Long Jr. (born October 12, 1996)[1][2] is an American football linebacker for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at West Virginia.

This article is about the linebacker. For the defensive back, see David Long (defensive back).
David Long Jr.
Long with the Tennessee Titans in 2019
No. 51 – Tennessee Titans
Position:Linebacker
Personal information
Born: (1996-10-12) October 12, 1996
Cincinnati, Ohio
Height:5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight:221 lb (100 kg)
Career information
High school:Winton Woods (OH)
College:West Virginia
NFL Draft:2019 / Round: 6 / Pick: 188
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 15, 2020
Total tackles:52
Sacks:0
Forced fumbles:2
Fumble recoveries:0
Interceptions:0
Pass deflections:3
Player stats at NFL.com

Early life

When Long was seven years old, he was on the back of a bike being pedaled by his older brother when he was hit by a car driven by someone who was not paying attention. He was treated at the hospital with head and arm injuries. He attended Winton Woods High School in Cincinnati and finished his career with 283 career tackles, six sacks, and six interceptions. Long was a high school teammate of safety Mike Edwards, who was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft.

College career
Long at 2018 Big 12 Media Days

Long redshirted in 2015 and made his collegiate debut as a redshirt freshman for the 2016 team in the season-opener against Missouri on September 3 with four tackles as a reserve.[3]

Long missed the first month of the season due to a summer knee injury. As a redshirt sophomore for the 2017 Mountaineers, his best statistics were his 18-tackle (including a school record 7 for a loss (meaning the offense lost yardage as a result of his tackle)) effort against the Oklahoma State Cowboys on October 28 and his 2.5-quarterback sack performance in the December 26, 2017 Heart of Dallas Bowl against the Utah Utes.[4][5]

Among his best games as a redshirt junior for the 2018 team were his 15-tackle (3 for a loss) effort against Texas Tech on September 29 and his 3-sack performance on November 10 against TCU.[6][7] That season, he was named as a 2018 first team All-Big 12 selection and as the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year,[8][9] after leading the Big 12 in tackles for a loss.[10] Long is the second Mountaineer to be named a conference defensive MVP (Canute Curtis, 1996 Big East), and first since the Mountaineers joined the Big 12.[11] Long earned 2018 College Football All-America Team second team recognition by the Walter Camp Football Foundation,[12] and the Associated Press.[13] On December 30, 2018, Long announced that he would forgo his final year of eligibility and declare for the 2019 NFL Draft.[14]

Professional career

Long was drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the sixth round (188th overall) of the 2019 NFL Draft.[15] During Week 10 against the Kansas City Chiefs, Long forced a fumble off running back Damien Williams which was recovered by teammate Rashaan Evans for a 53-yard touchdown in the 35–32 win.[16]

Long was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list by the team on November 16, 2020,[17] and activated on November 28.[18]

NFL statistics
Regular season statistics
Year Team Games Tackling Fumbles Interceptions
GPGSCombTotalAstSackFFFRYdsTDIntYdsAvgLngTDPD
2019TEN 14015960.01000000.0001
Career14015960.01000000.0001
Postseason statistics
Year Team Games Tackling Fumbles Interceptions
GPGSCombTotalAstSackFFFRYdsTDIntYdsAvgLngTDPD
2019TEN 31131030.00000000.0000
Career31131030.00000000.0000

Personal life

David’s father, David Sr., is a former professional boxer who went 12-5-2 as a heavyweight. He once fought future world champ Deontay Wilder.

References
  1. https://www.titansonline.com/team/players-roster/david-long/
  2. https://www.espn.com/nfl/player/_/id/3916074/david-long
  3. Manning, Sean (August 31, 2018). "David Long hungry for first start in season opener". West Virginia MetroNews. Retrieved December 7, 2018.
  4. "LB David Long goes on tackling tear for West Virginia". USA Today. Associated Press. November 2, 2017. Retrieved December 7, 2018.
  5. Casazza, Mike (December 26, 2017). "FINAL: Utah 30, WVU 14". 247Sports.com. Retrieved December 7, 2018.
  6. Hunter, Greg (October 4, 2018). "Hard to get mad at Long for missed tackle". The Morgantown News. Retrieved December 7, 2018.
  7. "West Virginia vs. TCU Live updates Score, results, highlights, for Saturday's NCAAF game". CBS Sports. November 10, 2017. Retrieved December 7, 2018.
  8. "2018 All-Big 12 Football Awards Announced" (PDF). Big12Sports.com. November 28, 2018. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
  9. "Big 12 coaches vote Sooners QB Kyler Murray top offensive player". ESPN. Associated Press. November 28, 2018. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
  10. "2018 Big 12 Conference: Individual Statistics Through games of Nov 28, 2018" (PDF). Big12Sports.com. November 28, 2018. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
  11. Hickey, Alex (November 28, 2018). "West Virginia LB David Long named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year". Metro News. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
  12. Carbone, Al (December 6, 2018). "Walter Camp Football Foundation Announces 2018 All-America First and Second Teams". Walter Camp Football Foundation. Retrieved December 7, 2018.
  13. Russo, Ralph D. (December 10, 2018). "AP All-America team: Tide leads with 4 of 10 CFP players". Associated Press. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
  14. Trotter, Jake (December 30, 2018). "Mountaineers LB David Long entering NFL draft". ESPN. Retrieved January 12, 2019.
  15. Wyatt, Jim (April 27, 2019). "West Virginia LB David Long Picked By Titans in Sixth Round, and He's Ready to Learn From Mike Vrabel". Titansonline.com. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
  16. "Titans rally, spoil Mahomes' return beating Chiefs 35-32". www.espn.com. 10 November 2019. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  17. Wyatt, Jim (November 16, 2020). "Titans Move RB Darrynton Evans to 'Designated for Return' List, Place LB David Long on Reserve/COVID-19 List". TennesseeTitans.com. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
  18. Wyatt, Jim (November 28, 2020). "Titans Activate Punter Brett Kern from Injured Reserve, While Also Activating LB David Long from Reserve/COVID-19 List". TennesseeTitans.com. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
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