Categories: NFL Draft 2015 VT News
| On 9 years ago

La’El Collins (Prematurely) Starts The Process of Visiting Teams

By Carl Knowles

After going undrafted this past weekend, LSU offensive tackle La’el Collins is free (once officially cleared) to sign a three-year contract as an undrafted free agent with any NFL team.

On Monday, Collins met with Baton Rouge police as part of the investigation into the murder of Brittany Mills. Collins is not a suspect in the case. Mills, 29, was pregnant at the time of her death and had a past relationship with Collins. While Collins continues to work on clearing his name in the Louisiana investigation, he has now started visiting NFL teams still interested in him.

The Advocate first reported the news, that Collins had an impromptu dinner meeting with Rex Ryan and the Buffalo Bills on Monday night. NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reports that the Cowboys and Dolphins are also among teams showing early interest.

The Minnesota Vikings could also be one of several teams in the mix for Collins. The Vikings, Panthers, Ravens, Eagles, Colts, Bucs, Cardinals, Rams, and Lions have all been rumored as potential landing spots for the talented offensive tackle.

Collins’ salary will be capped, so his descision will largely be based on scheme, role and fit.

Update: Collins’s agent Deryk Gilmore told the Associated Press that he’s not taking any meetings with teams “at this time.”

Collins has withdrawn from LSU. NFL rules prohibit teams from visiting a player (who has withdrawn) on his campus or at his residence until after final exams are complete.

 

Carl Knowles

Carl Knowles (Contributor) is a former member of the Professional Bowler Association and an avid lifelong Vikings fan. When he is not bowling you can find him on websites and forum pages sharing his creative insight and enthusiasm for the Minnesota Vikings any chance he gets. Carl was a Phoenix Institute of Technology and Purdue University standout who currently enjoys the challenge of being a graphic director in the printing business. You can follow him on twitter @carlknowles_vt.

Tags: La'el Collins minnesota vikings

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  • The teams willing to offer a starting left tackle job will probably be highest on his wish list. I'm not sure just how attractive the Vikings starting left guard spot will be on Collins' list, but I have my fingers crossed.

  • I think it's really unlikely he ends up here. Carl is correct in that any team that tells him your going to be our starting left tackle is going to be in the driver's seat. His primary objective is to maximize the amount of money he can get on his second contract, putting himself in a situation where he's destined to be a guard is not in his best financial interests for a future contract. I don't really think Brezinski will have any magic that he can do either. The best a team can do is use their entire RFA bonus allotment for him and guarantee all three years of his salary. I do think the Vikes are in the running (the fact that they haven't announced the RFA signings yet has me wondering if they are trying to pinch guys into accepting contracts with no bonus $ in hopes of saving it for Collins), but I don't think we should hold our breath. If he is cleared and they do get him here that would be an impressive feat.

    • Don't you think he would maximize the amount of money he can make on a second contract if he can see playing time right away? He may struggle playing LT or RT right away but can be good at LG starting. The value of a mediocre Tackle to a Quality Guard is pretty close. His best bet is to find a position where he can excel and make the top dollar for the position.

      • If his plan is to be a mediocre tackle than yeah, he should sign with the first team who gets him on the field. The problem is that even if he is okay with playing guard, he will want the opportunity to play tackle and the Vikings have two fairly high profile guys under contract for the next two years. It wouldn't surprise me if both Kalil and Loadholt were released before then, but the team isnt going to come out and say that to Collins in their pitch unless the plan is to release one of them immediately. If he gets the chance to play tackle somewhere else I just cant see his agent advising him to sign here. There are other factors of course (coaches, team status, the city) but this guy has lost a lot of money. Olineman generally dont get a lot of endorsement deal opportunities, so the large market teams probably won't have much of an advantage on that front. All of this is premature anyway, even if he could sign right now no team is going to touch him until he's completely put in the clear by the police.