It’s been 15 years since a Deerfield Academy alum suited up in an NFL game, but that’s expected to change next season after this week’s 2021 NFL Draft.
Boston College tight end Hunter Long — who did a postgraduate year with the Big Green in 2016 — is expected to hear his name called early during the three-day event, which begins Thursday night. Long could go Friday night during either the second or third round.
Described as more of a receiving tight end than an inline blocker, Long redshirted with the Eagles in 2017 before appearing in 12 games in 2018, catching just four balls. He put himself on the NFL radar in 2019, catching 28 passes for 509 yards and two scores.
With the departure of Steve Addazio following the 2019 season, BC brought Jeff Hafley in to run the program and the former Ohio State assistant got the most out of Long, who caught 57 passes for 685 yards and five scores in 2020. His 57 receptions were the most by an FBS tight end in 2020, leading him to declare for the draft as a redshirt junior.
This is the scouting report on Long from NFL.com analyst Lance Zierlein:
“Pass-catching tight end with decent speed and plus ball skills but a concerning lack of consistent aggression in his play,” Zierlein wrorte. “Long is much too passive and unskilled as a run blocker at this point of his development to consistently help against NFL competition. He also needs to get better at controlling his catch space with body control and physicality.
“However, when the ball is in the air, he plays with a plus level of tracking and focus to make tougher catches look easy, including throws that are down near his feet. He doesn’t look like a burner, but he does have success running the seam and working over routes, so play speed should not be an issue.”
Zierlein predicts Long will be selected during the third round.
Long hails from Exeter, New Hampshire, and came to DA needing to put on size. The first time Big Green coach Brian Barbato saw him he weighed just 210 pounds, but now tips the scale at 253 pounds. Standing 6-foot-5, he has plenty of size to step in and play in the NFL.
The NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah has Long as his 90th ranked prospect in the draft. ESPN’s Mel Kiper is more smitten on Long, ranking him 47th overall in the class and the No. 2 tight end behind only Florida star and likely top-10 pick Kyle Pitts. He’s listed by Kiper one spot ahead of Penn State’s Pat Freiermuth, a Merrimac native.
Kiper listed Long as his favorite tight end of the draft — excluding Pitts — saying he’s a player that could surprise people by going in the first round on Thursday, though is likely to hear his name called during the second round on Friday.
“He’s big, tough and physical and he can block,” Kiper wrote. “He’ll also stretch the deep middle of the field. Thirty-nine of his catches last season were on throws between 5-15 yards downfield, which means he knows how to get open. That ranked as the third most in FBS. Long is a complete player, and young tight ends who can block are tough to find, so he’s going to have a lot of suitors.”
The last DA player to play in the NFL was Randal Williams, who joined the Jacksonville Jaguars as an undrafted free agent out of UNH in 2001. After being waived by Jacksonville, the wideout played three years with the Cowboys then spent two seasons in Oakland before being released following the 2006 season.
According to Pro Football Reference, once Long is drafted he will be the first Big Green alum drafted into the NFL since 1975 when Ken Huff went third overall to the then-Baltimore Colts.