There’s been a lot of chatter this summer about the Los Angeles Rams’ rookies. Taylor Rapp has stood out as an impact player at safety, Greg Gaines is a potential starter on the defensive line and the Darrell Henderson hype train is full-steam ahead.

One rookie who hasn’t gotten much attention is David Long Jr., the cornerback out of Michigan. He’s buried on arguably the deepest position group on the roster, playing behind the likes of Marcus Peters, Aqib Talib, Nickell Robey-Coleman and Troy Hill. Long isn’t in danger of being cut, by any means. Playing time is just going to be tough to come by for him.

McVay shared an update on how Long has been playing lately, saying the rookie is steadily improving.

“I think he is just getting better and better. He was a great man coverage corner at Michigan where there was a lot of emphasis on just kind of matching up. You can see he has great short-space quickness, lateral agility – all those types of things. He’s getting more and more comfortable,” McVay said. “Really conscientious, smart football player, he’s got good ball skills. I think he’s just getting more comfortable within the framework of the scheme. … We do have some good depth at that cornerback spot with some veteran players and then, some younger guys that have done a lot of good things and David is certainly one of those players that is ascending.”

The rookie adjustment period is to be expected for any first-year player, especially one who primarily played man coverage in college. Long has to adjust to playing more zone coverage in Wade Phillips’ scheme, too, which could contribute to a steeper learning curve.

He had an up-and-down debut in the first week of the preseason against the Raiders, getting beat for a big gain as the receiver went over the top to make the catch. He has shown signs of being sticky in coverage, though, and his tape from Michigan doesn’t lie.

He may not have a big impact as a rookie, but there’s a good chance he’ll be a starter in 2019.