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Friday is the Detroit Lions’ local Pro Day, where they can host the best local talent for a pre-draft workout.
This year, the Lions will get a plethora of drafting option from the local pool. University of Michigan has at least three or four prospects that are projected to go in the first three rounds, while Michigan State (Justin Layne), Eastern Michigan (Maxx Crosby) and Central Michigan (Sean Bunting) all have specific prospect that could very well interest the Lions.
*Note: According to weird Local Pro Day rules, Michigan State and Central Michigan aren’t considered “local” to Detroit and those players won’t work out with the Lions on Friday, unless they grew up in the Detroit area. However, that’s irrelevant to today’s Question of the Day.
So today’s Question of the Day is:
Who is your favorite local (anywhere in Michigan) draft prospect for 2019?
My answer: While obviously it looks like Michigan’s Devin Bush will go higher than anyone else, I really like what I’ve seen out of Wolverine cornerback David Long.
On tape, Long is instinctive, quick, and shows a very high football IQ. On the training field, he displays just about every athletic trait you’d want in a starting cornerback:
Elite #RAS for the #Michigan product. David Long posted good numbers everywhere but height. pic.twitter.com/w9X5mHBCAm
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) March 24, 2019
Of course that one red cell is a very big deal to some. Measuring in at 5-foot-10-and-a-half may be a deal-breaker for some NFL teams. Though Long does sometimes get pushed around by bigger targets, it doesn’t stop him from playing physical and excelling at press coverage.
Some project Long to slide inside because of his stickiness and small stature, but I think that’s a little close-minded. Long absolutely shut down everyone in 2018.
Along with yards per cover snap, David Long ALSO led qualifying CBs in forced incompletion percentage at 32.3%. pic.twitter.com/I3sN7tmFlF
— PFF Draft (@PFF_College) January 26, 2019
You’d be hard-pressed to find another corner with better tape. And while tape doesn’t trump everything, it shows Long is a competitor and a gamer. Some team would be very lucky to grab him in Day 2 of the draft.
Honorable mentions go to Chase Winovich—who I think is being criminally underrated by some—and Justin Layne.
Your turn.