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La’el Collins’ return comes not a moment too soon as Cowboys plan for universally feared offensive attack

Mike Crum
·5 min read

In one of the strangest draft day stories of all time, a 2015 first-round OT prospect and SEC’s top offensive lineman out of a huge program went undrafted.

LSU’s La’el Collins was interviewed in connection to a double homicide and the whirlwind of media selection had him stock plummet despite never being considered a suspect. Collins previously dated the victim, and was only brought in because her daughter mentioned his named and the investigators were being thorough. In an assume-the-worst world, the damage to his reputation was done and Rounds 1 through three came and went without his name being selected.

As Day 3 went deeper, Collins and his representation altered their strategy and no longer wanted to hear his name call, preferring to hit undrafted free agency. The Dallas Cowboys came away as the sweepstakes winner over 28 other teams who inquired about Collins. The Cowboys got Collins to sign a fully guaranteed contract for three years, $1.7 million and neither side has looked back. After proving his pedigree, the Cowboys honored his predraft worth by making him whole with a contract extension that ended up paying Collins what he would have made as a first rounder. He’s been a staple on the offensive line since, moving from left guard to right tackle in 2017.

The 2021 Cowboys player profile series continues with No. 71, La’el Collins.

Background Details

Jersey No.: 71 Position: Right Tackle Age: 28 Height: 6-foot-4 Weight: 320 pounds Hometown: Baton Rouge, Louisiana High School: Redemptorist College: LSU Draft: 2015 UDFA

(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

(Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images)

Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

NFL Stats

Year

Games

Starts

PFF Overall Grade

Run Block

Pass Block

Penalties

Sacks Allowed

QB Hits Allowed

QB Hurries Allowed

2019

15

15

86.4

89.4

75.2

5

2

4

20

2018

16

16

71.9

70.3

71.8

11

8

6

33

2017

16

16

63.3

62.3

59.3

4

5

8

38

2016

3

3

50.2

53.6

49.1

2

0

1

5

2015

12

11

68.4

69.7

67.5

5

0

3

19

From OverTheCap

Year

Base Salary

Prorated SB

G'teed

Cap Number

Age

2021

$1,550,000

$5,250,000

$1,550,000

$6,800,000

28

2022

$10,000,000

$5,250,000

$0

$15,250,000

29

2023

$10,000,000

$5,250,000

$0

$15,250,000

30

2024

$10,000,000

$3,450,000

$0

$13,450,000

31

TOTAL

$31,550,000

$19,200,000

$1,550,000

$50,750,000

--


Player Profile

Collins gives the Cowboys elite performance in run blocking and above average pass protection. Playing next to future Hall of Famer Zack Martin provides the Cowboys with one of, if not the best right side of an OL in the NFL. As the game has moved to more diversity in attack, year after year Collins seems to be facing off against the elite pass rushers in the game on a regular basis, and handles his assignments well. If he's fully recovered from surgery and able to play a full season, Dallas has a strong piece of a championship-level offensive puzzle. The fact he's the Cowboys' third-best lineman speaks volumes to the heights this line can still achieve. Collins handled his fiasco that cost him about $15 million in draft positioning like an absolute pro. That isn't something everybody would be able to handle as well as he has. He took his tough luck, got compensated in an early extension available to him after two years because he was undrafted and eventually a third contract worth $50 million with $35 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $9 million. After the 2019 season Collins was seen as one of the best right tackles in the NFL and playing at a level equal to that of left tackle Tyron Smith. Collins emerged from the Covid offseason out of shape and was unable to take part in much of training camp. During the time away from the club, he was also involved in a major car accident. After being placed on injured reserve to start the season, it turns out his hip injury was far worse than many imagined and it required surgery, which ended his season. Collins of course wasn't the only key player to miss all or the majority of last season. He spoke of the rehab process he's undergone, and of course it's been in tandem with his quarterback Dak Prescott. "There's been days where we're out there and it's like, man it's a tough day, but he(Prescott) keeps going, and it just makes everybody else want to keep going, especially me." Collins said about rehabbing with Prescott. The proof is in the results too, before his injury last training camp, reports were that Collins was in the 330 pound range, but during OTA's this year Collins weighed in at 313 and said he plans on playing at 309 pounds and promises no loss of strength as well. If Collins is able to comeback to his 2019 form, it can protect the team against Tyron Smith's health and make sure the team has an elite right side of the OL to lean on with Collins and Zack Martin. Head coach Mike McCarthy and OL coach Joe Philbin showed a hesitancy to move Martin around last season. Having Collins back, along with Smith, alleviates much of the concern about not having enough top-tier talent at their disposal.

You can find Mike Crum on Twitter @cdpiglet or at Youtube on the About the Cowboys Podcast. This profile is part of our countdown series to the regular season. For the full 90-man roster, go here. For our 53-man roster prediction, go here.

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