David Long

David Long Jr. (born February 6, 1998) is an American professional football cornerback for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Michigan Wolverines and was selected by the Los Angeles Rams in the third round of the 2019 NFL draft. As a junior he was an All-Big Ten Conference selection. He is known for his nickname as "the Hawk".

Early life A native of Pasadena, Long attended Bishop Alemany High School his freshman year, before transferring to Loyola High School for the remainder of his high school career.

In July 2015, the Chicago Tribune reported that Long was considering local schools USC and UCLA as well as Michigan, Notre Dame, Wisconsin, Washington, Oregon, Stanford, Duke and Oklahoma for his collegiate football career. On August 2, 2015, Long was described as wavering between Stanford and Washington, but committed to Stanford on August 6.

Long, a 4.0 grade point average (GPA) student, became the first player to receive his jersey for the 2016 U.S. Army All-American Bowl on September 22, 2015. He decommitted from Stanford on December 18, and announced he was considering Washington and Michigan. He played in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl and was described as starting to lean toward Michigan by that time. Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh flew with four assistant coaches on January 18 and climbed a tree as part of his effort to recruit Long. Long committed to Michigan on January 21, 2016.

College career Long graduated from high school with a 3.9 GPA and arrived at Michigan to be mentored by Jourdan Lewis. As a junior for the 2018 Michigan Wolverines, he was a 2018 All-Big Ten Conference first-team (coaches) and third-team (media) selection. Following the season, he was considered to be a possible 2019 NFL draft prospect.

Professional career

Los Angeles Rams

The Los Angeles Rams selected Long in the third round (79th overall) in the 2019 NFL Draft. In Super Bowl LVI, Long recorded four tackles in the 23–20 win against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Las Vegas Raiders On March 22, 2023, Long signed with the Las Vegas Raiders. Long was released by the Raiders on November 2.

Carolina Panthers On November 3, 2023, Long was claimed off waivers by the Carolina Panthers. He was released on December 1.

Green Bay Packers On December 5, 2023, Long was claimed off waivers by the Green Bay Packers. He was released on January 6, 2024. On January 12, he was signed to the practice squad and elevated for the first round game of the 2023–24 NFL playoffs a day later. He was not signed to a reserve/future contract after the season and thus became a free agent when his practice squad contract expired.

New York Giants On May 1, 2024, Long signed with the New York Giants. He was released on August 27.

Indianapolis Colts On September 2, 2024, Long was signed to the Indianapolis Colts practice squad. The Colts signed him to the active roster on October 8.

On July 31, 2025, the Colts placed Long on injured reserve. He was released on August 3. He was re-signed to the practice squad on October 20. The Colts released Long on November 4.

Carolina Panthers (second stint) On November 26, 2025, the Carolina Panthers signed Long to their practice squad.

New York Giants (second stint) On August 5, 2026, the New York Giants signed Long. He was released on August 13.

New Orleans Saints On August 26, 2026, the New Orleans Saints signed Long. On August 30, Long was placed on season ending injured-reserve.

NFL career statistics Regular season Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles GP GS Comb Total Ast Sck PD Int Yds Avg Lng TDs FF FR 2019 LAR 8 0 9 8 1 0.0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2020 LAR 16 1 7 6 1 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2021 LAR 16 5 40 35 5 0.0 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2022 LAR 12 4 21 18 3 0.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 02023 CAR 3 1 7 5 2 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 GB 3 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 LVR 8 1 12 10 2 0.0 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 2024 IND 13 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 Career 79 12 96 82 14 0.0 8 1 0 0.0 0 0 0 0Source: pro-football-referencecom

Postseason Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles GP GS Comb Total Ast Sck PD Int Yds Avg Lng TDs FF FR 2020 LAR 2 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 2021 LAR 4 1 12 11 1 0.0 1 1 3 3.0 3 1 0 0 Career 6 0 12 11 1 0.0 1 1 3 3.0 3 1 0 0Source: pro-football-referencecom