Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
You just knew when Dan Quinn took over as the Atlanta Falcons head coach, he’d be targeting a big, physical cornerback during the 2015 NFL Draft. That’s exactly what happened when they spent the No. 42 overall pick on LSU cornerback Jalen Collins.
Collins is an athletic, physical cornerback who fits in the mold of the bigger cornerbacks the Seattle Seahawks build their dominant defense around. Considering Quinn was previously the defensive coordinator for the Seahawks, the decision to swoop in and draft Collins makes too much sense.
Unfortunately, the pick isn’t necessarily a sure thing.
Collins is a promising cornerback, but comes into the NFL with limited starting experience, having started only 10 games at LSU as a rotational cornerback. On top of that, he’s still raw in terms of technique (largely due to his lack of consistent playing time) and will need significant coaching to get up to speed.
Luckily, the Falcons have enough talent at cornerback to where they don’t need to force him into significant snaps early during his rookie season. With young guns Desmond Trufant and Robert Alford set as the Falcons’ starters on the outside, Collins can essentially step into a similar role to the one he was playing in with the Tigers.
The talent is there for Collins to develop into an outstanding cover man for Atlanta, but there’s still the potential for him to not live up to expectations. The Falcons took a big risk in drafting him at No. 42, but their gamble could end up paying off in a big way if he displays his first-round caliber talent at the next level.
