Chicago Bears Draft Countdown: Making the Case for Jalen Collins
Published by Matt Eurich on April 22, 2015
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears
Much of the focus this offseason for the Chicago Bears has centered around whom they will select with the seventh overall pick in next week’s draft, but the players they select between Rounds 2 and 6 will be just as important.
While the Bears will be looking to add an instant contributor in the first round, they could be willing to take a bit of a risk once the second round comes along.
Chicago used a first-round pick on cornerback Kyle Fuller last offseason and have two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Tim Jennings on the roster, but the team is relatively thin at the position.
General manager Ryan Pace re-signed Al Louis-Jean, Demontre Hurst and Sherrick McManis, and signed veteran Alan Ball to help add depth to the position, but the Bears could be looking to add another cornerback in this year’s draft.
Though prospects like Washington‘s Marcus Peters and Michigan State’s Trae Waynes will likely be available when the Bears pick seventh overall, it may be a bit of a stretch to take a cornerback that high.
Peters and Waynes may be off the board once the second round begins, but LSU’s Jalen Collins could be an intriguing option for the Bears with the 39th overall pick.
Collins played three seasons at LSU, although he did not become a starter until last season.
His numbers do not jump off the page and he does not have much experience, but he is one of the most talented cornerbacks in this year’s draft and could be a steal in the second round.
Inexperienced but Could Develop Under Chicago’s New Coaching Staff
Coming out of high school in 2011, Collins was listed as a 4-star recruit and the 22nd-best cornerback in that year’s recruiting class, according to Rivals.com.
He was redshirted his freshman year and made his debut for the team in 2012. He played in all 26 games between 2012 and 2013, only making two starts.
Last season, he started 10 of LSU’s 13 games, and according to College Football Focus’ Sam Monson, Collins played 569 snaps in 2014 and allowed just 18 catches on 44 passes thrown in his direction.
At the end of the season, Collins opted to go against the NFL Advisory Committee’s draft grade and decided to forgo his senior season and enter the 2015 draft.
“The grade was to return to school,” Collins said, according to Hal Habib of the Palm Beach Post.
Collins measured in at 6’1″ and 203 pounds at the NFL Scouting Combine back in February. He ran a 4.48-second 40-yard dash, and his 6.77-second mark in the three-cone drill was second-best among all cornerbacks.
It is hard to evaluate Collins because of his limited starts, but Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller likes his upside:
CBSSports.com’s Dane Brugler also thinks Collins has the tools to be successful in the NFL, but he needs some work:
One reason why the Bears might consider Collins is there would be little pressure on him to make a big impact in 2015. The team already has two starters at CB on the roster in Fuller and Jennings.
Collins may be raw, but new defensive backs coach Ed Donatell has a lot of NFL experience and could help mold the young cornerback. During Donatell’s four-year stint as San Francisco’s defensive backs coach, the 49ers recorded 78 interceptions—second-most in the NFL—and allowed just 218.2 passing yards per game.
“Donatell seemingly did some amazing things with the 49ers’ secondary over the last four years,” wrote David Fucillo of Niners Nation. “The team brought in under-the-radar guys and rookies, and they made great progress.”
During his time in San Francisco, Donatell got the most out of unheralded cornerbacks Tarell Brown, Perrish Cox and Chris Culliver. Both Brown and Cox were fifth-round picks, while Culliver was a third-round pick.
None of those three cornerbacks came into the league with the same upside and potential that Collins has, and while there is no guarantee he would flourish under Donatell in Chicago, the coach’s track record suggests he would be able to get the most out of Collins’ skill set.
His Skill Set Translates to the NFL
Despite his inexperience, Collins possesses many of the tools NFL teams look for in a cornerback.
“They all have holes, but Collins is what you are looking for in an NFL cornerback with his length and speed,” said an NFC director of personnel, according to Lance Zierlein of NFL.com. “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.”
In addition to having great size and speed for the position, Collins is also unafraid to be physical at the line of scrimmage and can drop down to stop the run.
He needs to work on his footwork, particularly his backpedal, but he has enough functional speed to keep up with most NFL receivers.
The Bears have spent the better part of the last decade playing zone coverage under former head coaches Lovie Smith and Marc Trestman, but new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio’s defense relies heavily on man coverage and press coverage.
In order to be successful in press coverage, cornerbacks have to be physical at the line of scrimmage, and Collins proved he can do that while at LSU. He showed an ability to disrupt a receiver’s timing off the line of scrimmage, but he was also able to use his strength and size to get between the ball and the receiver to break up plays down the field.
He needs to do a better job of locating the football in the air in order to come away with interceptions, but he reads receivers well down the field and has a good feel for the game.
“Has an excellent feel for what’s going on in front of him—will break off coverage to help underneath and isn’t generally fooled by crossing routes,” wrote SI.com’s Doug Farrar about Collins in his scouting report.
Many things can be taught at the NFL level, but awareness is rarely one of them. Collins is an instinctual player who understands what is happening around him, but he will need to refine his technique at the next level in order to be successful.
Bleacher Report’s Ian Wharton compared Collins to Baltimore Ravens cornerback Jimmy Smith:
Stylistically, Collins is reminiscent of Jimmy Smith of the Baltimore Ravens. Smith was a solid athlete with great length, but he also needed time to refine his technique. If Collins is willing to put in the work, he is very similar in length and how he moves. In a press scheme, that bodes well for both the team and player.
Despite his lack of experience, Collins has all the tools to be a successful cornerback in the NFL, and he could thrive under Fangio and Donatell in Chicago.
The cornerback position is not the most pressing need for the Bears, but Collins could end up being a steal in the second round if he is still available.
Statistical information courtesy of Sports-Reference.com and NFL.com. Combine numbers and measurables courtesy of NFL.com.
Matt Eurich is a Chicago Bears Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and a member of the Pro Football Writers of America.
Read more Chicago Bears news on BleacherReport.com
