Steven Ryan-USA TODAY Sports
The New York Giants entered the offseason with a gaping hole at safety. Zero returning starters were on the roster, as both Stevie Brown and Antrel Rolle signed elsewhere. Enter Landon Collins.
The 2015 draft class was somewhat weak at safety, with only four taken in the first two rounds. Collins was one of those four, as the Giants scooped him up with the first pick in the second round after trading up with the Tennessee Titans. New York’s move up to the top of the second round showed its desperate need to draft a safety, and the front office believes they got a good one in Collins.
Early on, Collins was seen as the far-and-away best safety in the draft, but his stock slipped due to perceived limitations in coverage, especially in man-to-man. He had a hard time sticking with athletic tight ends, sometimes looking lost in coverage, not being able to locate the ball in the air. Other times, however, he made plays on the ball with big hits and interceptions.
As scouts constantly noted, Collins is more of a box safety over a free safety — and that’s OK. He played as an extra linebacker in college, racking up 90 tackles on Nick Saban’s defense. He also tallied three picks and 3.5 tackles for loss in his final season with Alabama, showing his versatility.
For New York, he’ll most likely play strong safety, but he’s also gotten looks at free safety this offseason because of the Giants’ glaring hole at the position. He’s already the best safety on the Giants’ roster and will make an immediate impact on defense and special teams.
As far as his rookie season goes, I’d expect Collins to be near the top of the list in tackles among safeties, as that’s his best asset. I wouldn’t count on too many interceptions in year one, mainly because he’ll play close to the line and rookie safeties have a tough adjustment to make from college to the pros. Nonetheless, the Giants filled a big hole at safety with a potentially great safety in Collins. He can play a role similar to Kam Chancellor, as a super-athletic safety who is strong against the run.
