Since the moment Maliek Collins was signed by the Raiders, I’ve been singing his praises. This team was badly in need of an interior pass rush, and he’s got it in spades. Not only that, but he came over to join his former DC Rod Marinelli, who is now the Defensive Line coach in Las Vegas.
Since he’s arrived, his coaches can’t stop raving about him. Head coach Jon Gruden has said on a couple of occasions that Collins is the key to this Raiders defense. Now his new defensive coordinator Paul Guenther offered up a pretty flattering comparison to his former All-Pro defensive tackle from his days in Cincinnati.
“I’ve been around Geno Atkins a long time in his career. Maliek reminds me a lot of Geno Atkins,” Guenther said Thursday from Raiders training camp. “He might be our best acquisition of the offseason from what I’ve seen. He’s been tremendous. Obviously with Rod Marinelli here, he coached the defensive line in Dallas, he showed the guys what Rod is teaching them. He’s tremendous with the younger players, teaching them the techniques, he’s very fast, got his weight down, he’s in great shape. He is the prototypical three-technique that we’re looking for in this defense.”
Atkins is a two-time All-Pro defensive tackle who has made the Pro Bowl in every full season of his career since 2011 — a total of eight Pro Bowls. I’d say that’s quite the comparison.
Collins has not made a Pro Bowl yet in his career, but his arrow is pointing up. He had 48 pressures last season and at age 25, he’s just now entering the prime of his career.
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