La’el Collins (6’4 305), LSU
Games Evaluated: Wisconsin, @ Florida, Mississippi
Run Technique- Shoots out of his stance and has no problem getting off the ball. However, sometimes he’s too aggressive and overshoots his man; needs to be more controlled and patient.
Hands- Patient but timely hands; doesn’t get his hands on his man too late. Gets better placement in the pass game than the run game.
Extension- Is very consistent at getting his arms extended in the passing game; made a lot of rushers give up early.
Feet- Pretty light on his feet. Shows quickness in his kick step, even if he doesn’t show a lot of drive.
Fluidity- Gets great knee bend to help him provide a wide base in pass blocking.
Strength- Shows great pure power and can drive guys, sometimes even when he doesn’t get the proper leverage.
Effort/Toughness- Gives great effort on every play, but some plays he will stop a bit early. However, he’s showed plenty of moments where he’ll drive guys into the ground and finish them off through the whistle.
Instincts- Does a great job of using his movement to sell play actions and fakes.
Balance- Can be a problem in the run game; gets a little too top heavy, enabling defenders to throw him aside. Shows a great anchor in the pass game, rarely getting pushed back.
Athleticism- Moves around well and can get to the second level pretty easily.
OVERVIEW: Collins has the potential to be a great all around tackle. As a pass blocker, he proved to be super reliable with his consistent arm extension and great anchor. Rarely did he let his man collapse the pocket. As a run blocker, definitely has the strength. Even when he didn’t get proper leverage he was driving guys back. However, he’ll need to be more technically sound in the NFL, improving his hand placement, leverage, and making sure he turns his hips to seal off his man from the play. Too many times his man was able to either shed and get in on the play or just throw Collins to the ground. He has the ability; he just needs to be taught up. One thing to look out for is his measuarables. It didn’t show up much, but he does have relatively short arms for a tackle.
THREE WORDS: Pass-reliable, drive, versatile
PROJECTION: Mid 1st round