Landon Collins is considered by many to be the top safety prospect in an otherwise underwhelming class. The Eagles have a gaping hole at safety, with Malcom Jenkins as the only legitimate starter on the roster. At first blush, it seems like a match made in heaven. But digging deeper, it might not fit as well as people think.
First, some perspective. For better or worse, the Eagles adhere to a defense which requires their safeties to be interchangeable. In other words, they do not want a traditional free safety / strong safety set up, where one guy plays center field while the other excels in run support. They want to have two safeties on the field at all time that can play deep and provide run support.
It limits their options when targeting talent: not every safety prospect coming out is able to excel in both areas. That is especially true this year, where the safety class is considered to be weak.
Back to Collins. He was productive in college on a team known for producing NFL safeties. He had 103 tackles, seven passes broken up and three interceptions in 2014. He recorded 70 tackles, four tackles for a loss, six passes broken up, one interception and two forced fumbles in 2013.
Scouting reports suggest he is a no-nonsense safety known for his discipline and ability to help against the run. He is a heavy hitter that can lay the wood better than Ron Jeremy.
But he struggles in coverage, especially against tight ends and slot receivers. He had several bad games this year in pass defense, including against Auburn and Mississippi State. Per WalterFootball.com, he really struggled against Ole Miss:
Versus the Rebels, Collins was picked on and burned for two touchdowns, but it should have been even worse as he was beaten for another long touchdown by a tight end who ended up dropping the pass. He had strong performances to finish the season, and his best game was probably against Florida early in the year.
Check out a further breakdown of WalterFootball.com on Collins' strengths and weaknesses:
Strengths:
- Extremely physical
- Excellent run-defender
- Good instincts
- Devastating hitter
- Good tackler
- Quickness
- Can separate the ball from the receiver
- Comes up with splash plays
- Reads a quarterback's eyes
- Functional in zone coverage
- Intelligent
- Disciplined
- Natural strong safety
- Operates well in zone
- Contributed on special teams
- Should be able to play quickly
- Experienced and successful against good college talent
- Should be able to play immediately
Weaknesses:
- Can get burned in man coverage
- Not an isolation safety on a tight end or slot receiver
- Not a rangy safety
- Lacks versatility to play deep free safety
He has been compared to former first round bust / Alabama safety Mark Barron, who similarly excels in run support but struggles against the pass. He has also drawn comparisons to Baltimore Raven Matt Elam, Jacksonville Jaguar Jonathan Cyprien, and Arizona Cardinal Deone Bucannon.
These players excel in schemes where they are allowed to attack the line of scrimmage as a de facto extra linebacker. That is not the Eagles scheme. Given his limitations in coverage, it is fair to question whether the Eagles will even consider Collins a viable option should he be available when the Eagles pick in the first round.
Questions have also emerged as to whether Landon Collins is as good as initially expected. Mike Mayock recently moved Damarious Randall ahead of Collins in his overall rankings. So in addition to scheme fit issues, there could be concerns about his overall talent level as well.
Let's take a look at his spider chart, per MockDraftTable.com:
His numbers don't jump off the table in terms of athleticism, which helps put into context his struggles playing center field.
Below is a highlight video of Collins' time at Alabama. He makes some plays in coverage, but largely you see how good he is in run support and how devastating of a hitter he can be.
The Verdict: I had been a proponent of getting Collins in the first round. He is an aggressive player that could add a level of intimidation to the Eagles defense that has sorely been missed. But the more I studied his game, the more skeptical I've become that the Eagles will target Collins in the first round. There are likely more talented players that are better scheme fits at wide receiver, offensive line, or outside linebacker that will be available in the first round. I expect the Eagles to address one of those positions and try to get a safety such as Damarious Randall later in the draft.
Patrick Causey is a writer for Eagledelphia and can be followed on Twitter @PhillySportsJD
