What Separates Star Lotulei?

[nobodyinparticular]

Originally Posted by Halsey

It's a total myth that Chris Long was a highly regarded prospect because of his father. Like his father, Long is/was a big, strong, athletically gifted DE who was productive in college and earned multiple awards. He solidified his position by having an impressive showing at the combine

Keep in mind the other part of Long's prospect status was his rather underwhelming career at UVA until his senior year. Up until his final year in college, Long was hovering around 280 or 290 lbs and his role was primarily to occupy blocks. People would tune in to see Howie's son and come away unimpressed. His final year, he dropped some weight, became a little kore mobile and Al Groh cut him loose to make plays on his own. And Long ended up proving he could get to the QB by racking up 14 sacks.

After proving he had the the physical tools at the Combine to match the tape, he was very much a top 3 pick. But when Long was sitting at the higher weight and playing in a more subdued role (to allow Ahmad Brooks to make plays) I can see why people would think Long was only highly respected because if his last name.