Early in the draft process, LSU offensive lineman La’el Collins was seen as a sure-fire top-15 pick. Unfortunately, an off-the-field incident which he wasn’t actually involved in derailed his dream of being a first-round pick in the NFL Draft. He went from a highly sought-after prospect to a player teams didn’t want to touch even in the seventh round. The Dallas Cowboys were one of those teams.

After Collins went 256 picks without hearing his name called, a guy by the name of Jerry Jones began wooing him to come play for the Cowboys. And as the saying goes, “what Jerry wants, Jerry gets.”

Collins eventually signed with Dallas after being recruited by the likes of the Cowboys’ offensive line, Tony Romo and Jones. Now, Collins joins an already-elite offensive line that he wants to make the best of all time.

As far as his play on the field goes, Collins played left tackle in college but was seen as a guard or right tackle in the NFL. For the Cowboys, those are the two spots Collins is expected to compete for. Throughout OTAs and minicamp, Collins played both positions, thanks to Doug Free recovering from injury. He’s battling Ronald Leary for the starting left guard spot, a battle which won’t be easy to win for either player.

Free should have a hold on the right tackle spot as he performed extremely well in 2014, but Leary holds a spot which could be upgraded. That’s not to say Leary isn’t a great player. He’d probably start on any offensive line in the league. It’s just that Collins is a promising rookie who should have been a top-15 pick.

Entering training camp, I expect Collins to primarily play left guard, as Free is expected to be a full participant. It will be the best position competition — aside from the running back spot — and a fun one to watch all offseason.

Unlike fellow rookies Byron Jones and Randy Gregory, Collins is stepping into a position group that’s probably the best on the team — and maybe the best in the league. If Collins is able to crack the starting lineup as a rookie, that’ll be a huge accomplishment. Whether or not he will remains to be seen. I don’t see Leary handing him the job, but Collins’ size and ability might end up winning the battle in the end.

Even if he isn’t a starter in Week 1, Collins provides Dallas with great flexibility should a player go down with an injury. He was the steal of this draft and should prove to be a great player for the Cowboys for years to come.