LSU CB Jalen Collins NFL Draft Scouting Notebook

The Seattle Seahawks have set a precedent for most NFL teams that in terms of secondary players, bigger is better. Everyone wants a 6-3 cover corner like Richard Sherman or a 6-4 safety like Kam Chancellor, guys that are big, fast, athletic, and stick on defenders like white on rice.

In the college game, a lot more of those players over six-feet tall are now transitioning to the defensive side of the football rather than just defaulting to the wide receiver position, and NFL teams are now getting bigger and longer at the cornerback position as a result.

More from NFL Mocks

One player who is the prototype for what the NFL is looking for in terms of size at the position is LSU cornerback Jalen Collins, who checks in at 6-2, 198 pounds. Collins is big, long, athletic, has great deep speed, and even has dreadlocks like (or perhaps longer than) Richard Sherman.

Okay, so in the grand scheme of things, the dreadlocks don’t really matter, but you get the picture. Coming from one of the top programs in the SEC, Collins is obviously going to be highly regarded coming into the NFL, but he only has 10 collegiate starts under his belt and with the way that LSU moves and rotates their defensive backfield, he finished his junior season with just 38 tackles and one interception.

Still, scouts have seen enough of Collins to get that:

A. He is a big, long, athletic player and

B. He has a lot of upside because of it.

In the NFL draft, that is sometimes a huge plus and a huge downfall. Guys who don’t have a ton of tape from college might get pushed down boards because the sample size is not large enough, and teams want to know exactly what they are investing these high picks in. However, some see enough of what they need to see, and are willing to pull the trigger earlier than others might.

At 6-2 198, Collins is going to force NFL teams to dissect his 10 college starts to determine if he is worth a second or third round pick, or if they should wait until the fourth or fifth rounds to cash in on both the value and his upside. It only takes one team, but let’s look at Collins as a player and see what we can see.

The first thing that jumps out at me about Collins is obviously his size — and his hair — but what I don’t overly like seeing is a lack of violent hand usage with his longer arms in press coverage. I think an NFL team can certainly work with Collins on that, but it’s something to be cognizant of going forward. The biggest advantage bigger corners have is just that — they are bigger — and if they don’t utilize it properly they are going to get burned. Speaking of…

Collins is consistently beaten inside by the Notre Dame receiver in that first clip. He reacts to the play well, but the receiver beats him on a deep slant/go/curl down the field and then on a quick slant later in the game. Now, what Collins does well is excel in man coverage, so any corner might have these types of plays on his game reel, but it’s something to keep an eye on.

Collins shows he is a willing and able tackler when he wants to be, and he takes good angles and reads the play pretty well for as raw and inexperienced as he is.

Overall, I think this is a really solid prospect with some nice upside. I would not take him in the first round but I would if I had a pick in the mid-late second round and then fire at will in round three if I felt like I could get him there. I think with his size and speed, there’s no way he’s going to last until day three of the draft based on measurables alone. I definitely think he’s raw, but the upside is there and he showed enough this past year to receive a second or third round grade from me.

Next: Mock Draft: Second Round Stunners

Home/NFL Draft