2015 NFL Draft Prospect to Watch: LSU OT La’el Collins
BBD Contributor: Brian Krosky
At the beginning of the 2014 college football season, there were three offensive tackles that found themselves at the top of many early draft rankings. However, all three have dealt with their own issues and their draft stocks have fallen.
Cedric Ogbuehi, who is following in the footsteps of recent top-six overall draft picks Texas A&M tackles Luke Joeckel and Jake Matthews (who have struggled so far in the NFL) has struggled in pass protection. Iowa’s Brandon Scherff has a history of injuries. Stanford junior Andrus Peat has shown that he may be a developmental project and a product of his system than an NFL-ready tackle. These players’ lackluster 2014 seasons could lead to another offensive tackle, LSU’s La’el Collins, shooting up draft boards.
A senior at LSU, Collins has experience playing both guard and tackle in college. According to LSU’s official athletic website, Collins measures in at 6’5″ and weighs 321 pounds. He originally started off at guard until his junior season, when he slid over to left tackle, where he has played the last two years.
What Collins Does Well
Collins is a very good blocker, but he’s also very instinctive. He reads defenses well. His blocking isn’t always pretty, but it gets the job done and creates lanes for runners. Even when he’s at a disadvantage athletically, he does his best to keep defenses out of the backfield.
Collins played very well against Florida’s Dante Fowler, one of the premier pass-rushers in the country, in a game earlier this year. On the following off-tackle run, Collins quickly saw Fowler’s attempt at a swim move and countered it by pushing him inside and allowing the running back to get into the open field.
Run blocking is where Collins really excels. He has a very strong lower base and gets great leverage on defenders. When he can keep his hands inside and stay engaged, he will win at the point of attack and open up lanes by driving defenders back.
Below is another example of Collins beating Fowler at the line of scrimmage and completely controlling him.
Collins almost never loses a battle when run blocking. He’s simply a “mauler” and is the reason LSU has excelled in their run-heavy offense. Here’s just another example of that.
Where Collins Needs to Improve
Playing tackle, Collins plays against the very best edge rushers in the country. He sometimes overcompensates for the edge and kick-steps too far out, exposing his inside. He lacks elite quickness to recover and allows some pressures up the middle.
Although the running back picked up the rusher and allowed quarterback Anthony Jennings to attempt a pass, the following play showed why Collins’ lack of ability to recover laterally can become a problem.
Another potential issue with Collins is his hand placement. When he has his hands inside the shoulders of a defender and remains engaged, he’s elite. But occasionally his hands slip outside and allow defenders to shed his blocks. If Collins can’t remain centered, he can’t get leverage on the defender, and suddenly isn’t as dominant as he usually is.
Projecting Collins’ Draft Stock
General managers and executives will love Collins’ versatility to play either at guard or tackle. He offers a great skill set and with good coaching and transitioning to the speed of the NFL game, he should only improve.
A problem he will encounter, however, is his lack of experience protecting the edge. He has done a nice job in pass protection, but with LSU’s offense becoming very run-oriented, that facet of his game doesn’t need to be as polished for their game plan.
Right now, he projects best as a guard because of his run blocking abilities and his familiarity to play inside. Even as a tackle the last two years, LSU has often put in two or three tight ends to block on the outside, so Collins plays the role of the interior often.
The versatile guard/tackle has become a popular trend in recent drafts. In the 2014 draft, Greg Robinson, Zack Martin, and Joel Bitonio were all collegiate left tackles who were selected with early picks then started off at guard in the NFL. While Collins doesn’t have the same raw natural ability Robinson does that made him an elite prospect worthy of being drafted No. 2 overall, his play is very similar in style.
Look for Collins to be a mid-first round pick come May. Although his stock could fluctuate up to the top 10 or down to Day 2, he will be in the discussion to be one of the first offensive linemen drafted if he plays out the rest of the year consistently.