Jalen Collins CB LSU

STRENGTHS Rare combination of height, weight and speed. Has the foot quickness and twitch to trigger on demand. Uses soft, bouncy feet to change direction and drive instantly on throws. Has arm length to play from trail position and still knock passes away. Desired awareness in zone with extended playmaking range. Will make plays outside of his area and has speed to come across field to chase down a loose running back or receiver. Able to redirect from press coverage and will only get better with more coaching. Leaper with the ability to challenge and win 50/50 throws. Buys in and does his part in run support.

WEAKNESSES Only 10 career starts. Plays with talent over technique. Needs to improve patience in press coverage rather than opening up too early. More of a straight-line burner than fluid, change-of-direction athlete. A little stiff-hipped and is a tick slow to open and accelerate. Plays with build-up speed over instant gas. Inconsistent to turn and find/track the ball. Not a naturally aggressive, physical player. Can hit with force, but doesn't go out of his way looking for it. Showed more aggression as a tackler earlier in season than he did to close the year.

SOURCES TELL US "They all have holes, but Collins is what you are looking for in an NFL cornerback with his length and speed. He isn't there yet, but he has the traits and ability to become a high-end starter and maybe the best cornerback from this draft." -- NFC director of personnel

NFL COMPARISON Terence Newman

BOTTOM LINE Immensely talented cornerback who brings the entire triangle (height, weight, speed) with him. Still learning technique and how to sink his feet with his eyes, but the instincts and athleticism to make plays on the ball both short and deep are what set him apart. Collins is a work in progress, but his physical and play traits create a very high ceiling if he continues to learn to play the position.-Lance Zierlein

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This guy looks like someone Baalke could target, would be a good developmental DB to bring in.

YES! Very raw but someone I'm quite interested in. Another guy I like a lot is Kevin Johnson out of Wake Forest who is pretty much the opposite of a Baalke player in terms of his physical measurables but has outstanding awareness and route recognition.

CBS has:

STRENGTHS: Prototypical size in terms of height, weight and length. Possesses tools that cannot be taught such as very good long speed and overall athleticism (tracked down Wisconsin RB Melvin Gordon on a 65-yard sprint). Excels at turning his hips and mirroring receivers down the field on deep routes as well as with jump balls due to his ability to time his jump and high point the ball. Stays in-phase with all types of receivers both big and small down the field.

He isn't afraid to stick his nose in the action and get physical. Expresses disappointment in himself on completions, but shows the ability to move on to the next play with little to no drop off in effort or confidence.



WEAKNESSES: Struggles with his backpedal at times as he tends to get too high and on his heels, resulting in poor reaction time, particularly vs smaller/quicker receivers. This really showed vs. Amari Cooper in the '14 Alabama tape. Doesn't deliver much power or jolt when in press man coverage and gives easy releases too often. Very inexperienced player in terms of reps as a starter. Likely won't be able to step in right away as a starter, but can develop into one with time.



Compares to: Johnthan Banks, Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Collins and Banks are both 6-2, long, athletic players who could be similar pros. While Collins didn't play enough to have nearly as successful of a college career as Banks did, he excels at man coverage and possesses the instincts to decipher plays quickly. Both players demonstrate a good motor and physicality to have a strong presence in the run game as well. With Banks you have a player who had more experience and therefore was more polished coming out of college, particularly in his ball skills, but Collins has very similar physical traits and can develop into a player with the same impact over time.



--Brandon Thorn

PLAYER OVERVIEWCollins starred at Olive Branch High School in Mississippi and was rated as a four-star prospect by Rivals before accepting a scholarship to LSU.

He took a redshirt his first year on campus in 2011 before making an instant impact as a redshirt freshman in 2012 by appearing in 13 games and starting once. In his first collegiate start, Collins had and interception and pass break up as he finished the year with 30 total tackles, 15 solo, 2 interceptions and 6 pass break ups, earning Freshman All-SEC honors.



Collins played sparingly again as a redshirt sophomore, appearing in all 13 games and notching two starts while finishing the year with 22 tackles and two pass break ups.



The 2014 season was Collins' first opportunity for significant playing time, although not as a full-time starter. Due to LSU having so many standout defensive backs the team constantly rotates its secondary, ensuring the most talent sees the field. Collins finished his last season in Baton Rouge with 38 total tackles, 28 solo, 3 tackles for loss, 9 pass break ups, and one interceptions in seven starts.



Collins has a very long frame to go along with equally long strides, which enable him to stay in-phase with receivers down the field with consistency.



He possesses above average athleticism and very good long speed. Collins is a smooth, fluid mover who is best when asked to play north and south rather than east and west. This is due to not being very explosive or twitched up in his lateral movements, and he can really struggle to stay with smaller, quicker receivers, particularly on slants and digs.



He wins at turning his hips and running down the field with receivers, showcasing his speed and technique to stay with them stride for stride. He does a very nice job of reading his man and turning his head, but can struggle to locate the ball. Has the ability to time his jumps and high-point the ball with ease.



Collins only had 10 starts in college and that inexperience shows up on tape. He will need time at the next level to be coached up in his technique while continuing to develop his understanding of the game before counted on to make a significant impact, but he has the tools to develop into a very good, versatile player.

My only concern with bigger CB's is they are so in vogue right now to defend all these bigger receivers we are seeing that by the time he hits the field the league will be running smaller faster receivers at them. Look what Brady did in the Super Bowl with smaller quick receivers and fast throws against the LOB.

Watch the footwork at the combine. The change of direction drills may be the most significant thing to see for the entire weekend.

Originally posted by ChaunceyGardner:
My only concern with bigger CB's is they are so in vogue right now to defend all these bigger receivers we are seeing that by the time he hits the field the league will be running smaller faster receivers at them. Look what Brady did in the Super Bowl with smaller quick receivers and fast throws against the LOB.

.....

was on the bandwagon, for sure

Nice prospect. In what round will he end up going?

I think he is def a second rounder... Les said he was the only guy on the team that could shut down ODB in practice...

Originally posted by MadDog49er:
Watch the footwork at the combine. The change of direction drills may be the most significant thing to see for the entire weekend.

That's what I watch. If a guy isn't fluid turning his hips and running then it's a problem

Good value in the 2-3 rounds. Definitely on my radar

McShay has the Ravens taking Louisiana State'sJalen Collins with the No. 26 overall pick

http://espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/161039/todd-mcshay-mock-2-0-ravens-take-intriguing-cornerback

I'm not seeing it. Collins looks like a safety to me. I don't see that foot speed, burst & change of direction as advertised. Was he playing hurt this year or something?

I'd pass on that guy.

NFL Media draft analyst Lance Zierlein believes LSU CB Jalen Collins has a "rare combination of height, weight and speed."
"Has the foot quickness and twitch to trigger on demand. Uses soft, bouncy feet to change direction and drive instantly on throws," Zierlein wrote. "Will make plays outside of his area and has speed to come across field to chase down a loose running back or receiver." Collins reportedly runs a 4.4 forty. An NFC director of personnel told NFL.com last week that Collins is "what you are looking for in an NFL cornerback with his length and speed." Feb 13 - 1:37 AM
Source: NFL.com
http://www.rotoworld.com/recent/cfb/131539/jalen-collins

Guess we will see at the combine

Originally posted by ChaunceyGardner:

Guess we will see at the combine

Even if he runs well at the combine, I'm not sure I'd buy it. I don't see a ton of game speed with him. I'd much prefer Waynes or PJ Williams over him.