Travis Long OLB/DE WSU

For those who have watched a lot more college football than me, where do you rank Travis Long vs. those of his same position? How do you see him being used at the next level.

I watch every WSU game and Travis was a man among boys. He definitely can play in the NFL. He is the best talent each week by far compared to his teammates. I thought he plays better than Chase Thomas and other PAC12 guys. I thought, coug homer coming out, that he was better than Dion Jordan this year.

Even with his injury I feel he's worthy of a mid round pick. I love his motor.

Anyhow, I know very little outside of the Pac12. Your thoughts about Travis would be appreciated.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FIbIOhzV2Ug

Thanks,

OWH

[youtube]FIbIOhzV2Ug[/youtube]

This guy has me really intrigued. He has great recognition of a play and shows the ability to get through and around the offensive line. He's tenacious and would be an interesting prospect in the 7th or as an UDFA. Wonder how he his leg/knee is healing?

http://allcougdup.com/2013/02/20/would-healthy-travis-long-have-been-invited-to-nfl-combine/

Travis Long looked pretty good vs BYU and I noticed another guy, #95 Ioane Gauta played very well. He'll be someone to keep an eye on.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVtju56nqzE

How sad is it when you watch a video about a decent football player and when it ends all that comes up is 6 videos about Mike Leach and one about the Golden Girls.. Poor WSU. I thought he looked good

I think someone may take a late 5th on him, I cant see him lasting to round 7 or not getting drafted. His intangibles are that good, IMO.

As a UW fan I have to say I really hope Seattle can pick him up late in the draft. The kid is just a great football player. He was the lone bright spot on a terrible defense his entire career at WSU. He has perfect size to be a situational pass rusher or LEO. While he isn't an explosive athlete like Bruce I think he still has value as a LEO in the seattle system.

Here is what NFL.com has to say about his strengths. Does the first line not screem LEO in Pete's system.

http://www.nfl.com/draft/2013/profiles/ ... id=2539655
"STRENGTHS Versatile performer who plays with his hand on the ground and as a stand-up pass rusher. Intelligent and instinctual, usually contains on the edge and sniffs out screens and bootlegs well. Flashes quick and strong hands to pop off blocks outside, can also spin out of blocks when needed. Works hard to hold the line as a defensive end. Possesses enough short-area agility to handle coverage duties as a linebacker, also physical against running backs and tight ends in space. Bullish pass rusher, gets his hands on his man’s numbers to drive him backwards. Most sacks comes from his relentless effort. Hustles down the line and across the field to involve himself in plays run away from him. Solid tackler, wraps the torso with authority and works hard to drag down the ballcarrier."

9.5 sacks* isn't too bad, further investigation into his injury would be needed, if that checks out a late round pick would probably land this guy. Just like the majority of the draft picks this year, bring him in and let him comPETE. Any that survive that competition should be pretty darn good.
* = http://espn.go.com/college-football/sta ... 2/group/80

Anytime during or after the 5th round Travis will be a steal(assuming the knee progresses as scheduled and he gets back to 100%)

Coach Breske made a tough but smart move with him this year, he saw a kid who was a very good DE and pretty much told him he's not one anymore. He had been working his ass off to get bigger to fill out his frame, but he then had to turn it around and he worked his tail off again during last Spring and Summer and dropped about 10lbs to get back down to about 255lbs.

Not sure what his 40 time would be if he was 100%, my guess is he's around a 4.7-4.75 with good football speed, great instincts, very good tackler and just an all around good football player.

Not enough can be said about the leadership he brought to the table, only one of a very few guys who stepped up during the turmoil of the coaching change and the transition to playing for a coach like Mike Leach.

So you think it was a smart move to morph him from a DE to LB? I can't see any way the Hawks draft Long if it is to be a pure LB but as a LEO or situational pass rusher who has the ability to drop in coverage occasionally, sure. Was it a smart move because he was needed at LB more for Wazzu or because that is the position he is better suited for?

I love the BYU game video posted by Ivotuk. That isn't a highlight video, though it plays like one. Especially around the 4:35 mark. What an array of tools on his belt. Power, speed, finesse. Pretty cool to see....would be nice to see him in camp this July. That guy hustles!

http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=dVtju56n ... Vtju56nqzE

Same link as above from Ivotek.

Hey, that's a great new nickname since I'm IT...and I the "it" factor ivotek...

After further review I think Pe might be a little closer to his value (5th, 6th) than I was but a lot will really depend on his health which is what I based my thoughts on. Seems like a lunch pail guy that will lay it out there on every play and will be a great influence on his team mates. I'm sure he would love to stay "home" too.

polarbill1999":1nj67fpm said:

So you think it was a smart move to morph him from a DE to LB? I can't see any way the Hawks draft Long if it is to be a pure LB but as a LEO or situational pass rusher who has the ability to drop in coverage occasionally, sure. Was it a smart move because he was needed at LB more for Wazzu or because that is the position he is better suited for?

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He was a tweener for college and he played TE/DE in high school(naturally at 6'5" 245), but given his talent it made more sense(IMHO) both for the team moving to the 3-4 last year and for his NFL prospects. You have to consider the fact of how poor our teams have been the last 5 years, and how undersized we went at virtually every position on the field. They were much improved last year and he still had some outstanding numbers for a guy playing LB for the first time at the D1 level. He may very well end up in a 4-3 defense playing end. He's got the frame to get back up to size. But from what we saw out of him last year when he had to play in space, he would fit well as a solid NFL backup OLB.

He had one offseason to learn a completely new defensive scheme and his new position. 13.5 TFL in 11 games playing around a D that had so much turnover and a ton of youth. Like some have already pointed out, the guy works harder than anyone and I'll point out that he does so rather quietly.

Most of the boards don't have him on there anymore. If he's around in the 6th and his medical situation is a thumbs up, he's definitely worth the pick.

ivotuk":1ahss72w said:

#95 Ioane Gauta played very well. He'll be someone to keep an eye on.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVtju56nqzE

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Gauta is an absolute load and really started breaking through towards the end of the season last year. He's a JC transfer out of Fullerton, will be a true senior this year(did not redshirt). I can't wait to see what he does out of the gate this year after a full year in a D1 strength and conditioning program. Huge upside.

Just a quick update...

Travis has arrived at WSU's pro day ready to go, no brace on his knee.

Really like this guy. Think he'll be a late rounder/UDFA, but he has a shot to make it. Hope we're the ones to give him that shot.

He did some of the drills but didn't run the 40. The knee is still in rehab but he's moving around without a brace on it. Good signs for Travis.

Also, Jeff Tuel ran a 4.55.

CrimsonWazzu":2i4zskoq said:

He did some of the drills but didn't run the 40. The knee is still in rehab but he's moving around without a brace on it. Good signs for Travis.

Also, Jeff Tuel ran a 4.55.

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Pretty decent QB stats except for his TD/INT close to 1:1. Is he a prospect to be a backup in the read-option?

http://espn.go.com/college-football/pla ... /jeff-tuel

I'm a big fan of Travis' and would be ecstatic if we took a chance on him. Versatile player who just makes plays all over the field, no matter where you put him. As others have mentioned his "heart" and intangibles are through the roof. Some might think that he might not "fit in" with this defense position wise, but attitude wise he'd be a perfect fit. kearly had that thread going about who you'd hate to leave the draft without... Travis Long is one of those guys for me. I just think that his dedication is going to pay off big time for him in the NFL and that he's about to have a way more productive career than many are predicting. Or not predicting. There seems to be absolutely no hype on this guy. I don't know if it's because of the injury or because WSU was a giant pile of suck while he was here or both. Either way, scouts will fall in love with his tenacity.

I thought for sure that Tuel would be a beast at WAZZU but it just wasn't in the cards. Dude had terrible luck with the injury bug and that's something that concerns me about him moving forward. He's got the heart and the skill, and seems to be a pretty good person. However, I don't know if he's going to be able to knock the injury bug in the bigs where the players get bigger and the hits get harder. I wouldn't mind giving him a look though. He's got experience with the Read-Option having played in the Air Raid last season. He also has experience dropping back which is what a lot of guys coming out of college having played in the Read-Option don't have. If he can stay healthy, he'll make a fine backup for Seattle or any other team for that matter. Questionable decision making at times but he was playing on some AWFUL teams. That can't be overstated. Surround him with some Grade A talent like Seattle has and you might be on to something.

Ianoe Gauta is a monster. He was born to play Nose Tackle. I could see him making a name for himself with the Cougs next year and being a significant NFL prospect. He's got the size, the love of the game, and the nastiness to make it in the league as a successful NT for years. And the hair. The Hawks have a ton of dude's with dreads but they don't have any dudes with Gauta's hair. That's one of the few things this team is lacking. Great hair.

Good stuff on Tuel, NYCoug.

Obviously I'm not as well-versed as you are on the kid, but his skills have always intrigued me from a distance. He could just be one of those guys who had REALLY bad timing and luck during his NCAA tenure. Because, there's really not much to dislike. In a QB starved league, by all rights Tuel should at least be a 3rd day type. But, I think Wulf's odd choices and the transition to Leech are leaving Tuel very underscouted. It wont surprise me to see him be a very capable NFL backup, who MAY get a shot to start some day.

pehawk":3i26f7cm said:

Good stuff on Tuel, NYCoug.

Obviously I'm not as well-versed as you are on the kid, but his skills have always intrigued me from a distance. He could just be one of those guys who had REALLY bad timing and luck during his NCAA tenure. Because, there's really not much to dislike. In a QB starved league, by all rights Tuel should at least be a 3rd day type. But, I think Wulf's odd choices and the transition to Leech are leaving Tuel very underscouted. It wont surprise me to see him be a very capable NFL backup, who MAY get a shot to start some day.

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Agree with you 100%. Seems like the type of player that would be on Seattle's radar and not many others. Didn't even get an invite to the combine. Pretty nuts for a QB that stands 6'3" 221lbs to run a 4.55 40 though. So you know the athleticism is there. I'm not a draft expert or anything, nor do I play one on TV like Mel Kiper (zing), but I like Tuel as a prospect more than I did Nick Foles. Tuel's got a little Alex Smith to his game, minus the #1 hype. Come to think of it, I wouldn't be surprised if Tuel's on the Niners radar actually. Much like the Hawks will be looking for a backup who can potentially mimic Russell's style, the Niners might want to do the same with Kaepernick now that Smith's gone to KC. Tuel could be that guy. And now I'm just remembering that Paul Wulff is actually with the Niners now and recruited Tuel to WSU. Just something to keep in mind.