He's long on talent, and pedigree

Chris Long, son of Hall of Famer Howie, made a name for himself at Virginia. (Michael Conroy/Associated Press)

University of Virginia defensive end Chris Long isn't Howie Long's son in Charlottesville, Va. In the idyllic college town 69 miles northwest of Richmond, he is the celebrity.

Virginia retired Chris's No. 91 before his final home game. At St. Anne's-Belfield School in Charlottesville, Chris, who led the school to a state title, is regarded as a patron saint for private school football. A local deli named a sandwich after him - it has steak, Provolone cheese, bacon, and horseradish, among other ingredients. All that's missing is a sign put up by the Chamber of Commerce: "Welcome to Charlottesville, home of Chris Long."

"I hate the word celebrity," Chris said. "Maybe in Charlottesville people know what I look like, but nowhere else. That's the way I like it."

Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive end and Fox NFL analyst Howie Long has been conspicuously quiet when it comes to his son. Make no mistake, he's a proud papa, but Chris can stand on his own and his play speaks for itself. He doesn't need anyone pumping him up.

"It's testament to the fact that he's such a great guy and such a humble guy," said Chris. "It's not his style to want to steal the spotlight from his sons. I have two little brothers [Kyle and Howie Jr.] and he does the same with them. He takes the back seat. Everybody has a time and this is our time. I've said, 'Dad, you're an old man now. It's not your time anymore.' He has done a great job with that, and I am grateful. I've matured to the point that now I am comfortable sharing that spotlight."

The spotlight has been squarely on the square-jawed son (just one of the many traits he shares with his father) leading up to this weekend's NFL draft, where he is among the contenders to be selected with the first overall pick, held by the Miami Dolphins. The 6-foot-3-inch, 272-pounder, who played for former Patriots defensive coordinator and New York Jets coach Al Groh at Virginia, is considered one of the safest selections in the draft. His pedigree, ceaseless drive, and flawless technique have made him anything but a long shot to become an impact player at the next level.

"You're not going to find many guys that play harder on a consistent basis, and that says a lot for production in the NFL," said former NFL general manager Charley Casserly.

There is no doubt Chris is the local boy making good in Charlottesville, but he could have been the pride of Cohasset instead.

After Howie Long's 13-year career with the Raiders came to a close, he and his wife, Diane, looking for a better setting to raise their three boys, moved to Charlottesville in 1994. But before the Longs decided on Virginia, they also considered moving closer to Howie's Massachusetts roots - Howie was born in Somerville, spent his formative years in Charlestown, and played football at Milford High.

Groh, who was with the Patriots at the time and living in Hingham, remembers getting a call from late Globe sportswriter Will McDonough, who had hooked Groh up with real estate agent Martha Gentry.

"He said, 'You know what Martha is doing right now? She is showing homes to the Longs in Cohasset. They're thinking of moving to either Cohasset or Charlottesville, Va.,' " recalled Groh. "At the time I'm thinking, 'Cool, I hope he comes to Cohasset.' The thought that the Longs and the Grohs would both end up in Charlottesville was remote. I didn't give it another thought."

Groh, who graduated from Virginia in 1967, crossed paths with the Longs when he became the coach at his alma mater in 2001.

Groh befriended Howie, the bond of pro football forging their friendship. When the Cavaliers offered Chris a scholarship during his junior season, some assumed it was a favor to Howie. They couldn't have been more wrong, and the thought only stoked Chris's desire. He played for the Cavaliers as a true freshman.

Sure, Chris took his lumps early on, matching up against offensive tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson, who was selected fourth overall in 2006 by the Jets, but that just made him hungrier, too.

"It's humbling when you get beat every day in practice," said Chris. "I was always very fortunate and appreciative not only of the type of player Brick was, but also for how he approached practice, which forced me to raise my game and my level of intensity."

"No sense of entitlement, no silver spoon," said Groh. "Chris has a very strong built-in desire to achieve whatever the circumstances."

In the 3-4, defensive ends often have to do grunt work and don't put up big stats. But scouts were noticing Chris, and last season Groh turned him loose in sub-packages. Long responded by finishing with a career-high 79 tackles, 14 sacks, and 19 tackles for a loss to earn Atlantic Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year and the Ted Hendricks Award as the nation's top defensive end.

Casserly, now an analyst with CBS Sports and the NFL Network, said the question is which position Long belongs at in the NFL.

"He can't play his full-time position as a 3-4 defensive end at the next level," said Casserly, who feels Long would be best suited as a 3-4 outside linebacker. "As a 4-3 end, he has the strength, but I think bigger, long-armed guys give him a problem. In talking to teams, I think everybody likes him. The guy has good intangibles."

Groh said Long is more athletic than his father, and Casserly noted he has a "terrific first step, as good as anybody I've ever scouted."

One NFL general manager with a top-10 pick described Long as "a guy that has all the traits you want: top-notch character, drive, work ethic. He is a safe pick, but that is being deemed as not having a lot of upside. I don't think that's fair."

Doubt Chris Long at your peril. He's been proving people wrong all his life. Outside of Charlottesville, he's still viewed as Howie Long's kid, but that's about to change.

"I'm not afraid of any situation or any burden with the name. I've been dealing with this stuff my whole life," he said.

Christopher L. Gasper can be reached at cgasper@globe.com.