David Long grew up in Los Angeles. He emerged as a 4-star prospect at Loyola High School before a three-year stint with Michigan football.

Now, Long is heading back to Los Angeles. He'll play for the Rams, who drafted him in the third round with the 79th pick of the NFL draft.

It's a homecoming for the 5-foot-11, 196-pound cornerback, who will join a team that made a run to the Super Bowl this past season.

“It feels great," Long said in a conference call with reporters on Friday night. "It’s a blessing. I went to school in Los Angeles, so to be able to really come back and play at home, it’s a blessing.

"Just to be able to come back home, play football and get another opportunity to play. I’m just really happy and grateful for the coaches and staff for believing in my talent and I’m really just ready to get to work."

Long started for U-M the past two seasons and helped the Wolverines field a stingy pass defense. As a sophomore, he recorded 21 tackles, two interceptions and eight passes defended. In 2018, he tallied 17 tackles, one interception and nine passes defended.

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He fit well in Michigan's scheme, which asked him to play press-man coverage nearly every snap. He was thrown at infrequently; according to Pro Football Focus, Long was targeted 60 times in 595 coverage snaps and gave up just 18 receptions for 130 yards.

While Long almost exclusively played man coverage, the Rams saw enough on tape to believe in his versatility. They think he can play both man and zone, and also complimented his ball skills and speed.

“Anybody who is a Rams fan knows that I have a very talented position group," Rams cornerbacks coach Aubrey Pleasant said Friday, "and you could say that the rich have gotten richer.”

Long joins an experienced secondary featuring veteran cornerbacks in Aqib Talib, Marcus Peters and Nickell Robey-Coleman. Los Angeles doesn't need Long to start immediately, which means he'll get a chance to learn from those ahead of him.

“He’s in a position where he can grow, he can be patient," Pleasant said.

There were several ties between U-M and Los Angeles. Pleasant was a graduate assistant under former head coach Brady Hoke and remains close to people within the program. He made a couple calls about Long and liked what he heard. Long also mentioned seeing former assistant Jedd Fisch during his visit with the Rams.

“The city’s not going to be too big for him and he’s also coming back home," Pleasant said. "So it’s a good situation, I think, for both parties.”

Contact Orion Sang at osang@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @orion_sang. Read more on the Michigan Wolverines and sign up for our Wolverines newsletter.