Hunter
Long.
Hunter
Long.
Boston College
"A Boston College move-TE with 57-catch senior tape and a receiving-first NFL projection — a Round-3 pick where the blocker development would decide the ceiling."Pre-draft read
This tight end operates as a Move-Y or flex option, primarily impacting the passing game through detailed route running and reliable hands. He aligns flexed or in-line detached, rarely as a true attached Y. His routes mimic a big slot receiver, showcasing crisp option cuts, a strong understanding of zone windows, and leverage in seam and Y-cross concepts.
He settles into open spaces with minimal body language, and his hands are late and clean, allowing him to play through the receiver's frame on contested throws underneath. His athletic ceiling is modest, with average long speed limiting his vertical threat. Blocking is a notable weakness; he can wall off backsides on wide zone plays but struggles with point-of-attack sustain and against linebackers at the second level.
West Coast timing offense built around quick-rhythm passing and targeting the middle of the field with length and toughness.
Immediate contributor as a receiving-focused third tight end, with the potential to develop into a reliable chain-moving, complementary starter by Year 2.
Run-heavy gap scheme where he is asked to operate as an in-line tight end, losing his value as an underneath separator.
Long is a nuanced route-runner with reliable hands who primarily functions as a pass-catcher, best leveraged in schemes that prioritize passing game contributions from the tight end position.
Hunter Long NFL Draft Tape | Boston College TE
Boston College draft tape highlighting Long's volume receiving usage, seam work and traditional Y tight-end profile.
Hunter Long 2021 Draft Prospect | 2020 Highlights
2020 highlight cut-up showing Long's catch volume, underneath reliability and contested middle-of-field targets.
Hunter Long NFL Draft Profile 4-12-21
Pre-draft profile discussing Long's production, athletic ceiling and fantasy/NFL role projection before Miami selected him.
Hunter Long projects as a receiver-first tight end, primarily a chain-mover with the frame and hands to operate in-line or detached. His value lies in his ability to run polished routes and secure passes, offering an offense a reliable target with a clear plan for usage in the passing game.
He developed into a key target at Boston College, starting with a rotational blocking role before emerging in 2019 with a breakout season, followed by an explosion in 2020 where he set a single-season record for receptions at BC and led all FBS tight ends in catches. His usage consistently positioned him in downfield seams and Y-iso concepts, highlighting his receiving prowess against ACC competition.
Evaluations noted his plus feel and hands but flagged his average athleticism, with a 4.76 forty-yard dash time confirming modest explosiveness. This placed him in the Day 2 tier for tight ends, and he was ultimately drafted 81st overall by the Miami Dolphins.
- 01
Route running for the position
real Y route-runner with speed variation and clean stem work; sells vertical seams and comeback stops the way a slot receiver would.
- 02
Hands and body control
soft, reliable hands with a wide catch radius and body-adjustment to work back to the QB, dig low balls out and finish contested throws.
- 03
Production against ACC coverage
legitimate breakout senior season, leading all FBS tight ends in catches in 2020 and setting the Boston College single-season record.
- 04
Versatility on the formation map
real reps in-line, wing, slot and split wide; usable as the featured pass-catching piece in a two-TE or 12-personnel scheme.
- 05
Size and frame
6'5"/253 with room to add functional mass; the physical profile of a modern in-line/detached hybrid TE with the length to matchup-hunt.
- 01
Blocking is a work in progress
average sustain at the point of attack; needs to add functional strength and consistent hand placement to hold up.
- 02
Athletic testing was modest
4.76 forty with average explosiveness and change-of-direction; traits do not project a separation edge against NFL linebackers.
- 03
Separation against NFL man coverage
better versus zone and off-coverage looks; NFL linebackers and box safeties can stay tight to his stem.
- 04
Yards after the catch
average burst and open-field creativity; production tends to come at the catch point rather than in space, capping the ceiling.
| Yr | Team | G | Rec | Yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Boston College | 12 | 4 | 103 | 2 |
| 2019 | Boston College | 13 | 28 | 509 | 2 |
| 2020 | Boston College | 11 | 57 | 685 | 5 |
| Career | — | 36 | 89 | 1297 | 9 |
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
Receiving-lean TE2 with flashes who never locked down a full-time starting role — closest to what Long has actually become.
Route-runner Y tight end whose value lives in reliable hands and coverage feel — Long's ceiling if separation and health had scaled.
TE3/TE4 body who bounces around rosters as depth without a defined pass-game role — Long's floor if the current Jax uptick doesn't hold.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
Bust. 1 catch as a rookie in Miami (2021, 7G/2GS), zero catches in Year 2 (2022) behind Mike Gesicki, then packaged in the June 2023 Jalen Ramsey trade to the Rams. Two years in Los Angeles (4G in an injury-hit 2023, 17G/2GS and 7 catches for 60 yds in 2024). Signed with Jacksonville in 2025 and is having his most productive year yet (9G/3GS, 12 rec, 85 yds through 9 games). Career: 46 G, 8 starts, 20 rec, 153 yds, 0 TDs, PFR AV 2. Correct grade at receiving-lean Y, but the separation and blocking pieces never scaled to a real starting role.
Receiver-first move Y tight end who priced himself into Day 2 on the back of a monster senior year. Hunter Long arrived at Boston College as a lightly recruited 2-star from Deerfield Academy, redshirted, then eased into a rotational blocking role as a redshirt freshman in 2018: 12 games, 4 receptions for 103 yards and 2 touchdowns behind Tommy Sweeney. He took the starting job in 2019 and produced a real ACC breakout — 13 games, 28 receptions for 509 yards (18.2 YPC) and 2 TDs with the ball routinely finding him on downfield seams and Y-iso concepts — before exploding as a junior in 2020: 11 games, 57 catches for 685 yards and 5 touchdowns on a Boston College offense that leaned on the tight-end position as its primary target. The 57-catch total led all FBS tight ends that season and set the BC single-season record. Career line at 6'5"/253: 36 games, 89 receptions, 1,297 yards, 9 TDs.
The traits were the story — a legitimate route-runner at the position with the frame and hands to be a chain-mover in-line and detached, if not the top-end athlete to be a game-breaker in space. Testing at 4.76 with modest explosiveness confirmed the tape: plus feel and hands, average athleticism.
Media grading put him in the Day 2 tight-end tier (Brugler top-80, PFF top-100, Jeremiah 3rd-to-4th) and Miami spent pick #81 on him to slide behind Mike Gesicki as the receiving-first #2 TE with room to grow into the starting role. The pro arc never got there. As a rookie in 2021 he played 7 games with 2 starts and just 1 catch for 8 yards on 3 targets. Year 2 (2022) was 9 games with zero receptions on a Dolphins offense that leaned on wideouts and Gesicki. In June 2023 Miami packaged Long into the Jalen Ramsey trade with the Rams, ending the Dolphins chapter with 16 games and 1 career catch.
In Los Angeles he played 4 games in an injury-shortened 2023 (0 receptions), then a healthier 2024 (17 games, 2 starts, 7 catches for 60 yards). He signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2025 and has posted his most productive NFL season yet — 9 games, 3 starts, 12 catches on 17 targets for 85 yards, plus 1 fumble. Career through 2025: 46 games, 8 starts, 20 receptions, 153 yards, 0 TDs, PFR career AV 2. Correct positional grade — a Day 2 receiving-first TE — but the separation, contested-catch and blocking pieces never scaled to a real starting role.