With the No. 42 overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, the Atlanta Falcons have selected LSU Tigers cornerback Jalen Collins. Collins is rated among the best corners in the draft along with Trae Waynes of Michigan State, Kevin Johnson of Wake Forest and Washington's Marcus Peters.
NFL Draft results 2015: Jalen Collins to Falcons in 2nd round
Collins is one of the premier cover corners in the draft and should help the Falcons going forward.
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Collins is a rare case. He has only made 10 career starts at LSU, but has enough raw talent and hints of technique to make him a first-round pick. Collins has perfect size at 6’1 and 203 pounds, making him large enough to play in man-press. At LSU, Collins had a very uneven career, which included being benched in 2013 after having a tough campaign.
In 2012, Collins was named to the SEC All-Freshman team and rebounded in 2014 to become one of the better prospects in the draft. In today’s NFL with skies being darkened by footballs, getting a solid trio of cornerbacks is a must. Collins should be a plug-and-play type, with the physical ability getting him by until coaching begins to really take hold.
At the NFL Combine, Collins ran the best 3-cone drill of any corner with a time of 6.77 seconds. Collins also ran a 4.48 40-yard dash and had a 36-inch vertical jump. Here is what an NFC scout had to say about Collins, per NFL.com.
“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.”
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