Name: La’el Collins
College: LSU
Class: SR
Position: OT
Height: 6'5"
Weight: 321
Background/Character | Leadership: 10 | Experience: 10 | Off-the-Field: 10 |
| Mental Capacity: 9 | Mental Toughness: 9 | Durability: 10 |
La’el was a team captain as a senior for LSU. Logged major snaps since being a true sophomore, only missing one game due to injury. Collins has zero off-the-field incidents in his career, and nothing negative in the press. Considered to be a fiery leader, at times visibly demanding to be run behind on the field. No reason to think he will struggle mentally in the NFL.
Final Grade: 9.66
Athleticism | Balance: 8 | C.O.D: 8 | Explosiveness: 8 |
| Flexibility: 8 | Coordination: 8 | Body Type: 10 |
Improved greatly from his junior to senior season as far as staying balanced and keeping upright. Similar improvement again throughout his senior year. Balance is good, but not yet consistently great. Good athlete but more of a mauler-type. More than enough quickness and flexibility to be a left tackle in the NFL. Faced very good pass rushers and technique was what was at times lacking, not athletic ability.
Final Grade: 8.33
Blocking- Upper Body | Hand Strength: 10 | Hand Exchange: 8 | Initial Punch: 9 |
| Extension: 9 | Engaging: 9 | Intensity: 9 |
Very good at keeping rushers at arm’s length away, using his excellent length to his advantage. When he connects with his punch, he seldom loses. Powerful and long. Improved his ability to connect with the defender before he allows the defender into his body. Hand exchange is good on spin moves but can improve location when blocking rips and swims. Lost on rips multiple times against UF. Aggressive player with a good mean streak. Will pancake but isn't second nature to finish the play as strong as possible. Devastatingly good against Auburn and Ole Miss in 2014.
Final Grade: 9
Blocking- Lower Body | Anchor: 8 | Leg Drive: 8 | Lateral Quicks: 8 |
| Upfield Control: 7 | In Space: 9 | Foot Quickness: 8 |
His anchor is good, and really saw improvement as a senior. Foot location and ability to chop his feet effectively was sometimes a glaring issue. Has enough quickness to push rushers around the pocket. Can disable rushers with good bend with his lateral agility. Not elite, but good. Attacks downfield well. Finds linebackers and attacks aggressively. Would like to see him drive more in run game. Collins isn’t very good as a run blocker right now, but flashed potential.
Final Grade: 8
Blocking Technique | Football IQ: 9 | Hand Placement: 9 | Kick Slide: 7 |
| Power Rush: 9 | Speed Rush: 7 | Body Tech: 8 |
Gets his hands inside the frame of the rusher effectively. Only struggled when he bent at the waist, which allows defender to make a speed counter move and neutralize his length. This got better as season went on. Kick slide is good but limited due to athleticism. Want to see him get out of his stance and sliding back quicker. Speed rushers can get around edge on occasion, but inside shoulder is most vulnerable to rip moves.
Final Grade: 8.16
| Player Comparison: | William Beatty |
| Projected Draft Position: | 1st Round |
| Best Scheme Fit: | Power |
| Injury History: | Missed 1 game in 2013 due to ankle |
| Career Accolades: | 2013 Second Team All-SEC |
| Career Stats: | 39 starts for LSU in 4 years |
Final Analysis
Collins enters the NFL as an experienced player, and showing the ability to improve through coaching and repetitions. He’s a good athlete on the field, but he really excels because of his natural frame, length and mindset.
Not all offensive lineman are punchers, instead they neutralize pass rushers by pushing. Collins is likely to find success because he is the former. By keeping pass rushers at arm’s length away, he is taking them out of the game.
The only concern with keeping the rusher far away is they can get their hands up to bat the ball down. Collins can improve his ability as a run blocker because he does not create a lot of push downfield. His leverage is usually the culprit why. His explosion off the snap and into the defender can also improve.
The little things like that are fixable through coaching. Collins projects as a quality left tackle in the NFL, but could slide inside to guard if need be.
Final Grade: 8.61- 1st Round Value