Quote:As high as the 5th? How many 5th round picks have the potential of Collins? He's absolutely worth the gamble at that point in the draft.
We stole Telvin last year and only concern with him was failed drug test. You can still find good role/depth players in the 5th round.
Teams have much more info than we ever will so much will depend on what their own investigation uncovers.
If this guy is still sitting there in round 6 or 7, why not draft him?
If you lose him... you lose a late round pick...
If he is cleared you get first round talent really cheap...
All sorts of good moving parts for the Oline including long term answer at RT between the competition there.
The best case scenario from his perspective is to go undrafted at this point. Then he can negotiate a fair market value contract like any other free agent instead of getting a slotted contract based on draft position.
It's a sad story whether he's innocent or guilty though. If he's innocent, his prior association with the deceased and the timing of the incident may have cost him millions through no fault of his own.
I believe in drafting at least one OLman every year. If the team can aquire a first round talent in the 5th round it would be quite a coup.
Yea I would take him in the 6th or 7th round, he was my number one LT, this dude could push Jockel.
I heard the police is not ready to talk to him yet, they are not gonna rush the investigation to benefit him and the draft, they have a job to do and its to get things right.
The kid was getting ready for the biggest night of his life and was in Chi when it came up that they wanted to talk to him, he has no control over the police investigation, he cant just go to the station and start making his case, this isnt the movies, its a process.
From what I heard on NFLNow they were saying that the police were the ones saying they were not going to be able to question him before the draft.
but
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000...fter-draft says that both Collins and the police scheduled for after the draft.
While I agree that if he's innocent he should have met with them right away, I can see it from his side too. I mean here one of the biggest moments in this kids life is happening and police want to talk to him a woman he knew. There isn't even a consensus that he was dating this woman.
I am not trying to debate his innocence all I was wondering is at what point in the draft does he become worth the gamble..because I agree he could be the steal of the draft.
http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/writer/jaso...with-deals
Quote: Someone has to take Randy Gregory and Dorial Green-Beckham on Friday. I can't imagine they don't go in the second round, given the potential upside and need. I don't believe La'el Collins gets drafted until the final two rounds,
La Canfora thinks final two rounds. I think the risk is worth it before that if he's a 1st round talent. For a team like the Jaguars, I'd think a 5th would be worth the risk. Some teams who have more stacked rosters I could see dropping a 3rd or 4th.
Quote:The best case scenario from his perspective is to go undrafted at this point. Then he can negotiate a fair market value contract like any other free agent instead of getting a slotted contract based on draft position.
It's a sad story whether he's innocent or guilty though. If he's innocent, his prior association with the deceased and the timing of the incident may have cost him millions through no fault of his own.
What, like go to the highest bidder? I don't think it works that way. Isn't there a cap for an undrafted rookie free agent? Otherwise the most talented guys would not enter the draft, then just negotiate and pick what team they wanted to go play for.
I agree with taking a chance on him for a later round. Those picks can all be somewhat of a gamble anyway. Chance to get top talent at OL is worth the risk. But...I keep telling myself...Aaron Hernandez was once just questioned by the police before it was publicly known that he was a suspect.
Quote:What, like go to the highest bidder? I don't think it works that way. Isn't there a cap for an undrafted rookie free agent? Otherwise the most talented guys would not enter the draft, then just negotiate and pick what team they wanted to go play for.
I dont know exactly how UDFA contracts work, but one benefit is going to the team of his choice, and signing a short deal, and if he reaches his potential in 2 years he can cash out big time
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<p class="" style="font-size:28px;font-family:Arial, sans-serif;color:rgb(41,47,51);">La'el Collins isn't getting drafted. That's the info I got once draft rooms quieted down tonight.
Teams should get info back on the Collins investigation from their respective directors of security later this evening.
Quote:La'El Collins meeting with police on Monday
La'El Collins | CLG
(May 1, 2015 2:26 PM EDT)
LSU G/T La'El Collins will meet with Baton Rouge police on Monday.
That leaves 72 hours for Collins to twist in the wind. While Collins is hoping to have his name removed from the case by Monday, NFL.com's Ian Rapoport reports "teams hope to have reports from security directors" by Friday night. Teams will have to be convinced Collins isn't at any further legal risk if they're to take him in Rounds 2 or 3.
SOURCE: IAN RAPOPORT ON TWITTER
As of right now, I don't know of any facts that would keep me from throwing a 5th rounder at him. It's worth the risk. That said, I believe teams know a lot more than I do. I have to believe private investigators are swarming all over this case on behalf of teams. Some police officer stands to make a lot of money under the table for leaking details of the investigation. This is Louisiana, after all.
Quote:What, like go to the highest bidder? I don't think it works that way. Isn't there a cap for an undrafted rookie free agent? Otherwise the most talented guys would not enter the draft, then just negotiate and pick what team they wanted to go play for.
Not a cap for rookie free agents, per se, but there is an overall rookie cap. It would be hard for a team to find wiggle room under that cap to give him a first round-ish deal. If exonerated, he'd almost certainly get the biggest UDFA contract ever (aside from a Chad Hutchinson situation, although Hutchinson was a UDFA in name only), but the rookie cap just isn't set up to anticipate situations like this. It's set based upon which picks your team has, so even not having a first-round selection isn't going to clear up enough rookie pool room for a team like the Bills or Seahawks to sign him to a huge deal.
Bottom line, Collins is screwed either way. He's either a late-round pick and is offered a late round contract, or he goes undrafted and is stuck with a UDFA deal. Either way, his payday wouldn't come until 2018, and that's assuming he pans out as a starter. His best option at this point if he's cleared might be to refuse to report to camp if he's drafted late (or just not sign a deal in UDFA), go sell cars for a year then re-enter the draft in 2016.
Quote:What, like go to the highest bidder? I don't think it works that way. Isn't there a cap for an undrafted rookie free agent? Otherwise the most talented guys would not enter the draft, then just negotiate and pick what team they wanted to go play for.
I don't claim to know what the rules are of how someone gets into the NFL now without declaring for the draft. But he had declared for this draft. If he gets drafted now he's getting a much smaller contract than he would have likely gotten before the incident. I don't think the rules allow college players to circumvent the draft.
There is no max contract for UDFAs that I'm aware of which means he should be able to negotiate like any veteran free agent. He'd have most of the league trying to sign him if he goes undrafted and is exonerated and they'd pay him market value which would likely be better than anything he'd get now. It's moot though. Someone will take him, and if he's innocent he will have been screwed by circumstance.
Assuming he did nothing wrong, I'm sad for this kid. It's a shame that teams apparently have no information to make an informed decision. I mean, if this really is just a case of the police doing their due diligence and contacting everyone who knew the victim, I wish there was a way to get that information out there so teams don't overreact.
Anyone know anything about police investigations? Is it normal for the police to delay interviewing a legitimate suspect?
Regardless, yeah, I'd take a chance and spend a 5th rounder on him.
NFL network just said he will not sign with a team if he is not drafted in rounds 2 and 3,
So if he is drafted in 4-7 he wont sign and re-enter the draft next year after he clears his name.
Good move, he was a lock for round 1. He might should refuse to sign even if he goes tonight. Assuming he is innocent, I don't see any other leverage that he has.
Quote:NFL network just said he will not sign with a team if he is not drafted in rounds 2 and 3,
So if he is drafted in 4-7 he wont sign and re-enter the draft next year after he clears his name.
Re-entering the draft to become a high pick the next year is the smart move. It worked so well for Bo Jackson.
Quote:NFL network just said he will not sign with a team if he is not drafted in rounds 2 and 3,
So if he is drafted in 4-7 he wont sign and re-enter the draft next year after he clears his name.
Odds of this happening? 0.003%