Five tight ends etched their names into the box score of yesterday’s Reese’s Senior Bowl with at least one reception. Boston College’s Hunter Long wasn’t one of them.
An undisclosed “small setback” held the redshirt junior out of Saturday’s all-star game.
But he accomplished what he set out to do in Mobile, Alabama. And that was to get his name out there.
Long was voted the National team’s top tight end at the practice player-of-the-week awards ceremony and drew high praise from NFL Network analyst Bucky Brooks, who said the former two-star recruit is “going to be a guy that pushes for that No. 2 tight end spot right behind Kyle Pitts.”
That’s the order in which Pitts and Long finished in tight end receiving yards this season. The ultra-dynamic Florida star led the pack with 770, and Long followed with 685—a mark that shattered his previous career high of 509. Long, however, led all tight ends nationally in catches. His 57 grabs were the second most by a tight end in single-season program history, only trailing Pete Mitchell.
Long joined Mitchell and fellow BC Hall of Famer Mark Chmura as the third Eagles tight end to earn AP All-American honors when the Exeter, New Hampshire, product was named to the second team in December. Additionally, he was selected as an All-ACC First-Teamer and tabbed as a John Mackey Award semifinalist.
Long accepted a Senior Bowl invite after declaring for the 2021 NFL Draft on Dec. 17. In a year without a traditional combine in Indianapolis, the 72nd annual all-star game was arguably more important than ever. As part of the National team, Long worked with the Miami Dolphins coaching staff, namely head coach and BC alum Brian Flores.
Long, the 56th BC player to go to the Senior Bowl, measured in at 6-foot-5, 254 pounds with an 83-inch wingspan. Shortly after that, he turned heads by sliding to haul in a pass from Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger. Long made plays all week, showcasing his ability to create separation off the line with his body and his hands.
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In addition to coming down with contested catches, he slipped into open pockets of zone coverage, sitting in the middle of the field for his quarterback, as he so often did for Phil Jurkovec, Dennis Grosel, and Anthony Brown.
Long’s hands were a talking point all year. His reliability in the aerial attack resulted in the upperclassman moving the chains 35 times, tied for the second most first downs of any tight end this season (behind Pitts), according to Pro Football Focus (PFF). What has particularly intrigued scouts and analysts is Long’s versatility.
He expanded his route tree in offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti’s pro-style scheme this year. Close to a quarter of his targets (23.6%) came in the slot, and 11.2% of the passes thrown his way were 20 or more yards downfield, per PFF. He also turned screens into chunk receptions and motioned in the backfield before skirting out to the flat. In the process, he was targeted more than any other tight end in the country.
As good of a pass catcher as he is, he doesn’t have the explosiveness of Pitts or, at the NFL level, Travis Kelce. But his blocking makes up for it and could very well be why he goes on the second day of the draft.
Long can hold his own when blocking in-line. He keeps his feet moving and squares his blocks. He improved significantly this year, jumping from a run blocking score of 42.9 in 2019 to 70.6. His pass blocking grade lagged behind at 54.9, but that mark’s a bit distorted because he logged a score above 61 in seven of the Eagles’ 11 games, according to PFF.
“He’s one of the most natural ‘Y’ tight ends that’s in the draft,” Brooks said on NFL Network Wednesday. “He’s shown that. His ability to get out of his stance, he can run routes, (and) he has soft hands. We see that he’s a bully blocker.”
Just as BC offensive guard Chris Lindstrom, another overlooked high school recruit, did in 2019, Long elevated his stock in Mobile this week.
He likely won’t ascend to the first round like Lindstrom, but he’s made his case for Day Two and TE2.
