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La'El Collins, Offensive Tackle, LSU
HEIGHT: 6'4"
ARM LENGTH: 33 1/4"
WEIGHT: 305 lbs.
HANDS: 10 3/8"
40-Yard DASH: 5.12 SEC
BENCH PRESS: 21 REPS
VERTICAL JUMP: 27.0"
BROAD JUMP: 108.0"
3-CONE DRILL: 7.70 SEC
20-YARD SHUTTLE: 4.63 SEC
There are two ways I see the Bengals going with their first round pick. They will either go with an OT or a DE. Big Whit is great, but he has a lot of miles on those tires. Offensive tackles tend to fall out of the draft in the blink of an eye, there is not a gradual regression. In this scenario they can take their future LT and let Whit groom him, one Tiger to another.
I think Cincinnati will go OT because the DE and DT position is so deep this year, that they will get better value at that position later. La'el is still flying a little under the radar, but I don't think that will be the case come draft time. He doesn't look like your typical blind side protector; he is a little boxy and just doesn't look like a guy fleet of foot.
Collins' biggest strengths are in the running game, this guy would make Hue the happiest man in town. He is a human snow plow, a straight up mauler. Another positive trait of his is that he doesn't overextend his arms, and once he gets his big mitts on you, well, you might as well just sit down because you aren't getting loose.
He's a good pass blocker in addition to possessing the ability to stop the speed and bull rush. If Collins does have a flaw it's that he gives too much ground and leverage at times when absorbing the pass rusher.
Here are some notes from my scouting partner and linemen specialist @royleredlegs:
A purely dominant blocker. Power in hands, hips and legs. Drives and moves bodies. Good enough feet to slide vs speed and reach second level blocks. Controls the defender. Has the length to recover if beaten. Can get over his toes too often.
Collins' ESPN scouting report:
| Pass Protection | 2 | Not an elite athlete for LOT position (light on feet but just decent bend and can play too tall at times) and lacks ideal length (6044 height and 33 1/4 |
| Run Blocking | 2 | Has massive frame, good overall strength and plays with a chip. Very efficient run blocker. Fires off the ball with very good initial burst and first-step angle. Has good lower-body strength and strong hands to drive defenders off the line, but only if his hands are in proper position. Does a consistently good job on combo blocks; jars defender with initial contact, and then effectively peals off to secondary block with good awareness and efficient angles. Above average job of reaching second-level blocks and hitting moving targets. Strong enough to drive smaller defenders to the ground but needs to do a better job with hand placement. Frequently allows hands to get outside of defenders frame, which prevents him from latching on and steering. Will also lunge for contact at times and can fall off some blocks, as a result. |
| Awareness | 2 | Knows his assignments. Has starting experience at LOT and LOG. Studies tape and transfers what he learns to the field. Solid pre-snap communicator. Very good job of passing on and picking up defenders with OGs and TEs on combo blocks. Shows adequate-to-good awareness in pass protection. |
| Toughness | 2 | He has a clear nasty streak. If he gets a chance to finish a defender off, he'll go the extra mile.Shows good overall toughness. Plays through the whistle. |
1 = EXCEPTIONAL 2 = ABOVE AVERAGE 3 = AVERAGE 4 = BELOW AVERAGE 5 = MARGINAL