Chris Long Christopher Howard Long ( born March 28 , 1985 ) is an American football defensive end for the St . Louis Rams of the National Football League ( NFL ) . He played college football for the University of Virginia , and was recognized as an All - American . The St . Louis Rams chose him with the second overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft . Early years . Long was born in Santa Monica , California . He attended St . Anne ' s - Belfield School in Charlottesville , Virginia . As a senior in 2003 he was in on 91 tackles , 23 tackles for a loss , and 15 sacks helping his team to an undefeated record and the state private - school championship . “ He was a big gangly kid who had yet to grow into his body , ” said John Blake , the St . Anne ’ s - Belfield coach . “ But he jumped in with both feet . When he played tackle , he would drive kids 10 or 15 yards down the field , like he was steering a car . ” Long had the rare distinction of having his jersey retired at St . Anne ' s - Belfield School . He was given a 4 - star ranking for college recruiting from Rivals . com , a service that rated him the sixth - best defensive end in the prep ranks . He played in the 2004 U . S . Army All - American Bowl . Long also played basketball , lacrosse , and baseball in high school . In addition to being Howie Long ' s son , he is also the great - nephew of deceased director Irvin Kershner . His younger brother , Kyle Long , became the 20th pick in the 2013 NFL Draft for Chicago Bears as an offensive guard . College career . Long enrolled at the University of Virginia , and played for coach Al Groh ' s Virginia Cavaliers football team from 2004 to 2007 , while seeking a degree in sociology . As a freshman in 2004 , he was a backup on the defensive line , but missed five games due to mononucleosis . Long ended the season with five tackles ( two for a loss ) and a sack . As a sophomore in 2005 , Long averaged 3 . 8 tackles per game , leading all Virginia defensive linemen . He totaled 46 tackles , with 10 tackles for a loss and 2 sacks . His 26 quarterback pressures led his team . He also shared the team lead in pass break - ups with seven . In 2006 , Long earned second - team All - ACC honors and was voted team captain . While starting all games , Long recorded 57 tackles , 12 for a loss , and 4 sacks . His 4 . 8 tackles per game was fourth among ACC defensive lineman . He was also a finalist for the Dudley Award , for the most outstanding player in the Commonwealth of Virginia and was an All - State selection . Following his 2007 senior season , Long was recognized as a unanimous first - team All - American . Long was fourth nationally in tackling by a defensive lineman , averaging 8 . 3 tackles per game . In addition , North Carolina head coach Butch Davis , who coached against Long in North Carolina ' s ACC match - ups with Virginia , called Long one of the premier defensive linemen in the country . Long entered the 2007 season on the watch lists for the Outland Trophy , Bronko Nagurski Trophy , Bednarik Trophy , Lombardi Trophy , Hendricks Award and the Lott Trophy . He finished the season as a finalist for the Lombardi , Lott , and Nagurski Trophies . On December 5 , 2007 , Long won the 2007 Ted Hendricks Award , given to the top defensive end in the nation . Long garnered more than 60 percent of the votes , the most ever for a winner in the history of the award . Additionally , Long received a first - place vote and finished 10th in the 2007 Heisman Trophy voting . On November 24 , 2007 , Long ' s # 91 jersey was retired at UVA , making him the first player to have his jersey retired while he was still active . Professional career . Measureables . At the NFL Combine , Long did not lift the bench - press reps of 225 pounds because of an injured thumb . Virginia Pro Day " Bench press " : 370 lbs ; " Squat " : 640 lbs ; " Power clean " : 375 lbs St . Louis Rams . Long was drafted by the St . Louis Rams second overall in the 2008 NFL Draft . The selection made him just the second son of a Hall of Famer , after Kellen Winslow II , to be drafted in the first round , the fifth such player ever drafted , and one of two such players drafted in 2008 ( the other being Matthew Slater ) . Following the draft , Rams head coach Scott Linehan named Long a presumptive starter on defense , a notion that Long rejected and instead felt he needed to earn . The Rams also announced their plans on using Long as both a linebacker and defensive end to showcase his athleticism ; Long considered such versatility one of his best assets . On July 19 , 2008 , Long agreed to terms on a six - year $ 56 . 5 million contract with the Rams with $ 29 million guaranteed . On September 14 , 2008 , Long recorded his first career sack against Eli Manning of the New York Giants . He recorded his first 2 - sack games versus the New England Patriots on October 26 , 2008 . At the end of his 2008 rookie season he was voted All - Rookie by the Pro Football Writers Association and Sporting News . Long started 16 games ( 14 at right DE and 2 at left DE ) for the Rams in 2008 , recording 4 sacks and leading the team in quarterback pressures , with a high of two sacks against the New England Patriots . In 2009 , Long again played both left and right defensive end for the Rams and ended the season with 5 sacks , which was second on the team . He also led the team ' s defensive linemen with 43 tackles ( 33 solo plus 10 assists ) and for the second straight season he led the Rams in quarterback hits / hurries . In 2010 Long moved to left defensive end , a position previously held by Leonard Little , where he is a more " natural fit " according to his coaches . In Week 6 , 2010 , against the San Diego Chargers , Long recorded two sacks and was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Week by the NFL . Long also helped keep the Chargers , who led the league in total offense , to 287 total yards . For the third consecutive season , he led team in hits / hurries . In addition , he led the NFL in hurries in 2010 with 41 . 5 and in total quarterback disruptions with 67 . 5 ( Quarterback disruptions are the combined total of quarterback sacks , hits , and hurries ) and was named fourth alternate to the pro bowl In 2011 Chris Long decided to change his jersey number from 72 to his former collegiate number 91 , which was previously worn by Leonard Little . On September 17 , 2011 , the Rams and Long agreed to a restructuring of his contract to free money under the salary cap . The restructured deal includes a $ 12 . 1 million signing bonus and a base salary in excess of $ 10 million in 2012 and with the prorated signing bonus , Long will have an $ 18 . 3 million cap number next season On October 30 , 2011 , Long had a career - high 3 sacks versus the New Orleans Saints and was named " Sports Illustrated ' s " NFC Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts . And for the second consecutive season he led the NFL in quarterback disruptions . Long also led the Rams in quarterback hurries with 15 and quarterback hits with 16 . For his efforts Long was voted the Defensive Lineman of the Year by the NFL Alumni for the 2011 season . He was also voted as an alternate to the pro bowl for the second time . On July 29 , 2012 , Long and the Rams agreed to a four - year contract extension . The extension adds $ 50 million over 4 years , with $ 27 million is guaranteed . Counting the existing year of contract ( 2012 ) which was reworked in 2011 , Long ' s overall deal is now worth $ 60 million over 5 years , with $ 37 million guaranteed . In 2012 Long led the Rams in sacks with 11 . 5 and again led the team in quarterback hits ( 24 ) and hurries ( 50 ) Additionally , according to Football Outsiders . com Long led NFL defensive ends in hurries for the third straight season . On December 30 , 2012 , Long tied a career - high of 3 sacks versus the Seattle Seahawks . Long ' s additional honors included being named to the USA Football ' s All - Fundamentals Team for the first time . He was also voted as a pro bowl alternate for the third time . On October 24 , 2013 Long was fined $ 15 , 750 for throwing a punch at Carolina Panther offensive lineman Chris Scott early in the third quarter Against the Colts , Long recovered an Andrew Luck fumble and ran it in for a touchdown , his first NFL score , and was named co - NFC Defensive Player of the Week by Sports Illustrated ( along with Robert Quinn ) . Long ended the 2013 season with 8 . 5 sacks and took his career total to 50 . 5 sacks and was named to the All - Fundamentals teams for the second consecutive season . Also in 2013 Long was voted first alternate defensive end to the pro bowl , the fourth consecutive season he was an alternate . Once again for the sixth concesutive season he led the Rams teams in quarterback pressures with 39 , but was second in quarterback hits to All - Pro Robert Quinn . Personal . Long is a son of Hall of Fame NFL defensive end Howie Long . On June 22 , 2013 , Chris married Megan O ' Malley in Charlottesville , VA . O ' Malley is a graduate of the University of Virginia and former member of the UVa women ' s lacrosse team . Chris has two younger brothers , Chicago Bears offensive lineman Kyle Long and Howie Francesco Long , a student at the University of Virginia . Chris appeared in a 1980s anti - underage drinking public service announcement as an infant with his parents .