Have You Heard Of: Arkansas RB Alex Collins
Have you heard of Arkansas running back Alex Collins? Probably not when you have guys like Leonard Fournette, Nick Chubbs and Derrick Henry leading SEC headlines. Collins isn’t the prototype RB that the above mentioned are, he sits at 5’11 215lbs and without blazing speed. The Arkansas RB may be waiting until the 3rd round to get selected but he may prove to be one of the more valuable selections in next years draft (which he should come out for).
Previous to this season Collins has been a part of a time-share backfield with RB Jonathan Williams. Williams injured his foot before the season began and its been nothing but Alex Collins since we’ve kicked off the season. In 5 games this year he’s amassed 656 yards and 6 TDs while running for over 150 yards in his past 3 contests against Texas Tech, Texas A&M and Tennessee. Lets dive into what to like about Collins and whats left to be desired from him as a RB.
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What to like:
There have been a number of violent runners in recent years. I’m not just talking about big hulking backs that use their size to their advantage but backs who attack you when they run the football. Think Chris Ivory, Marion Barber and of course Marshawn Lynch. I’m looking at guys who are always fighting for the extra yard and trying to go the distance whenever they touch the ball. There’s always the dreads reference but that just happens to be coincidental.. or is it?
Alex Collins isn’t a guy who’s going to raise eyebrows in the 40 yard dash or put your socks on backwards in the open field but he’s a tough runner and he uses his strengths to his advantage. What I love about him and the guys who he resembles are that they never stop moving their feet after contact and go down in a fighting fashion. Collins is also a patient runner, in reference to Marshawn Lynch he’s a guy who can find the small seam and grab about 7-8 yards on a play that might normally gain 3-4.
In the play below we see both patience and strength which leads to a nice touchdown for Mr. Collins
A great run above but the 2 runs in this next clip are more of what we can expect of him
He’s not flashy and he’s not going to be on the highlight reel every week but a guy who knows what 5-6 yards a carry means is somebody who can find himself a job in the NFL. Collins however, does have his flaws.
What not to like:
There’s two things that don’t sit so well with Alex Collins and they both could be reasons for why he slides in the draft. The first being that he’s not a guy who can catch the ball out of the backfield. To be a 3 down back you need to have the skill-set to play on 3rd down and Collins with only 3 catches (9 yards) all of last season and only 3 (18 yards) to start this season will need to prove that he can catch and become somebody’s workhorse.
Sep 5, 2015; Fayetteville, AR, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks running back Alex Collins (3) runs for a first down against the UTEP Miners during the second quarter at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
As a freshman he caught 11 passes for 63 yards but 5 of those catches (one for 30 yards) were all in one game. There are guys who have been able to turn into reliable pass catching backs but its something that he’s going to need to work on in the off-season. The other concerning part of Alex Collins game are the number of fumbles he’s had. Over his 2 1/2 year career he’s put the ball on the ground 10 times, 6 times last year alone. Although he only has 1 so far this season losing the football is a quick way to end up on the bench and out of the league. We’ve seen guys like Adrian Peterson fix their fumbling woes but not everybody is granted the talent and leash length of AP.
Alex Collins has a real chance to be a back who ends up being a great pick purely based off of his tenacity and drive. If he can learn to hold onto the ball and learn how to catch a few passes he might find himself going earlier in the draft than anticipated. Right now Collins is a 3rd round back, but has potential to move up into the 2nd with the right team and a great off-season.