LSU Football 2015 NFL Draft Profiles: Jalen Collins

Jalen Collins

Position: Cornerback
Combine Height/Weight: 6-1, 203 pounds
LSU Listed Height/Weight: 6-2, 198
Hand Size: 9.3 inches
Arm Length: 32 inches
40-Yard Dash Time: 4.48
Bench-Press Reps (of 225 pounds): DNP
Vertical Jump: 36 inches
Broad Jump: 124 inches
Short/Long Shuttle: 4.27/11.32
3-Cone Drill: 6.77 seconds

2014 Season: 38 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 9 pass break ups and 1 interception.

Strengths

Tall, physical corner with long arms, who excels in press, man-to-man coverage...has quick feet and good speed for his size...length allows him to trail receivers and still get a hand on the ball...a hustle player who will pursue against the run and is not afraid to come up and make a tackle.

Weaknesses

A little raw in his technique, and more fast than quick...stiff in the hips, and can be vulnerable to tendency breakers, like double-moves...will try to use count on his speed to make up ground and be a little slow to turn and drive...sometimes lazy on his jam, and bailing too quickly against receivers he should be able to control better...doesn't track the ball well in the air, and should be better at getting his hands on it with arms that long...struggled with physicality and lost his job as a sophomore, although he rebounded incredibly well as a junior.

Verdict

Jalen Collins touches all the bases for what NFL teams want in a cornerback. He's got the size, the speed and enjoys playing physical, press-coverage. He doesn't quite have the ideal quickness for an NFL man-to-man specialist, and might be better off in a zone-heavy scheme like in Seattle or New England, but in a cornerback crop that has a lot of questionable prospects, Collins' upside will be tough to ignore. But to be honest, I don't love any of the corners in this class, and wouldn't be surprised if they drop as a class, meaning Collins falls to the late first or maybe the second.