West Virginia Football 2019 Mock Draft: Where will the Mountaineers land?

“With the 49th pick of the 2019 NFL Draft, the Cleveland Browns select David Long, linebacker, West Virginia University.”

Although he’s a bit undersized (5-foot-11) for an every-down linebacker at the next level, Long might be the perfect player for the sub-packages frequently used in today’s NFL game. Deone Bucannon played a hybrid linebacker role and flourished when he entered the league in 2014; Long could see similar success.

At WVU, the 2018 Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year made it a habit of making plays across the line of scrimmage. He tallied 39.5 (!) career tackles-for-loss and added 12.5 sacks in three seasons of play. These numbers are evidence of his ability to attack and get downhill in a hurry, but could cause some issues at the next level with more effective play-actions and run/pass options (RPOs). If Long is capable of defending the run in base formations, though – fighting off blockers and bringing down ball-carriers – there’s no telling where his ceiling is.

With the likes of Odell Beckham, Jr., Myles Garrett, Baker Mayfield and countless others, the Cleveland Browns have one of the most talented young rosters in the NFL. Adding a tackling machine like Long to their nucleus would be an under-the-radar move that’ll prove to have huge dividends.