Tag: zaven collins

Packers meet virtually with Tulsa LB Zaven Collins

Add a top linebacker to the list of draft prospects to sit down virtually with the Green Bay Packers. 

Add a top linebacker to the list of draft prospects to sit down virtually with the Green Bay Packers.

According to Justin Melo of The Draft Network, the Packers are among nine different teams that have met or will meet with Tulsa linebacker Zaven Collins, who won the Chuck Bednarik Award as the nation’s top defensive player in 2020.

Over three seasons at Tulsa, Collins produced 236 tackles, 25.0 tackles for losses, 7.5 sacks, five interceptions, eight pass breakups and three forced fumbles. He returned two interceptions for touchdowns in 2020.

The Packers could see Collins as the missing piece in the middle of the defense. Big and versatile, with the ability to rush the passer and cover, Collins has an impact-creating skill set in the right scheme at the next level.

From his profile at The Draft Network: “Collins offers an exciting blend of size, length, power, football intelligence, and versatility that makes him a dynamic prospect for the NFL. Whether it’s defending the run, dropping into coverage, or rushing the passer, Collins has the requisite skill set required to execute and was arguably the most dynamic defensive playmaker in college football for the 2020 season. He demonstrated notable growth in 2020, becoming a complete defender and making high-impact, clutch plays seemingly every week.”

The Packers have Kamal Martin and Krys Barnes returning in 2021 after playing snaps at inside linebacker as rookies, but neither should prevent general manager Brian Gutekunst from adding a potential difference-maker at the position. It’s possible Collins could be an option at the end of the first round for Green Bay.

Draft Wire provided a closer look at the film from Collins’ time at Tulsa.

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Mel Kiper Jr. endorses Tulsa LB Zaven Collins as the Browns’ first-round projection

Kiper also talked up other pass rushers in the late first round

Veteran ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. held a conference call with reporters on Monday to field questions on the 2021 NFL draft and various prospects. When it came to the Cleveland Browns, Kiper enthusiastically endorsed Tulsa linebacker Zaven Collins as the best choice for the team at No. 26 overall.

“In the late first, if you stick with that pick, I do think Zaven Collins would be the best choice,” Kiper said Monday.

The words on the conference call back up what Kiper wrote in his most recent mock draft, where he also projected Collins to the Browns in the first round.

“Zaven Collins, I think it would be tough to pass him up,” Kiper stated. “He can play inside, outside. He had the one big game against Oklahoma State, where (three) of his sacks came. Other than that, though, he was making tackles all over the field, getting into the backfield. He wasn’t the sack artist, but he was a rangy guy.”

Later in the call, Kiper noted the depth of the pass rushing draft class, but also offered a cautionary tone about several of the players who might be in consideration for Cleveland.

“I do think any of the pass rushers you look at all come with some concern that gives you a little bit of a boom-bust question mark there,” Kiper said, noting Miami’s Greg Rousseau, Michigan’s Kwity Paye and Penn State’s Jayson Oweh, among others.

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Mock draft watch: Touchdown Wire’s projection is a score for the Browns defense

Tulsa LB Zaven Collins is becoming a popular projection

Mock draft projections for the Cleveland Browns and the team’s first-round pick in 2021 are falling into two primary camps: pass-rushing or secondary. There is one player who falls in between the two, and he’s the pick in Touchdown Wire analyst Doug Farrar’s latest mock draft.

Farrar projects Tulsa linebacker Zaven Collins to the Browns with the No. 26 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft.

The description and breakdown of Collins’ game is certainly appealing,

Collins has old-school dimensions for the position (6-foot-4, 260 pounds in an era when the average linebacker weighs at least 30 pounds less) with new-school speed, agility, and versatility. Collins did well throughout his collegiate career in the box, on the defensive line, and even in the slot.

Collins has been a frequent projection and one that the Browns Wire staff has rallied around as a good one. I personally see him in the Olivier Vernon role as the EDGE opposite Myles Garrett, but Collins has the ability to offer more than just rushing the passer.

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2021 NFL draft film room: Tulsa LB Zaven Collins

See for yourself what Tulsa linebacker Zaven Collins brings to the table as a 2021 NFL draft prospect

As we look ahead to the 2021 NFL draft, it’s time to get acquainted with some of the top prospects in this year’s class.

What does Tulsa linebacker Zaven Collins bring to the table? Check out the film and see for yourself:

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Mock Draft Watch: ESPN’s latest adds versatile LB help to the Browns

As always, our @JoshKeatley16 offers some alternative picks too

Another mock draft was released and this time by one of the more well-known pundits from ESPN. The great and wise Todd McShay projects the Cleveland Browns selecting some defensive help in the second level with Zaven Collins from Tulsa.

In this scenario, Micah Parsons, Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah and Azeez Ojulari are already off the board. McShay makes a strong case for Collins. McShay’s explanation,

“I mocked Collins to the Browns a month ago as well, and nothing has changed for a team certainly ready to contend for a Super Bowl. Myles Garrett can’t be the only effective pass-rusher on this roster, and after hovering in the middle of the league in sacks for the past few years (34, 37, 38 and 39 sacks in the past four seasons), Cleveland needs to make the jump with its edge rush to truly challenge in the AFC. Collins — who would be Tulsa’s second first-rounder in the common draft era — has versatility and burst.”

Other OLB Options:

Micah Parsons, Penn St., 6-3, 244 pounds:

Parsons was taken at 15 in this scenario and has failed to make it to Cleveland in any mock that I have seen so far, but it isn’t impossible and he would be a great fit. The Browns are close to being a major threat in this league and adding an elite three-down backer with his type of rare athleticism and top-notch instincts may take this defense to the next level. He is a rare prospect that checks practically every box and despite his perceived low positional value, Cleveland would be foolish to not have interest.

Nick Bolton, Missouri, 6-0, 232 pounds:

Bolton has been a star for the Tigers since taking over the starting gig due to an injury to the previous starter in 2019. He has dominated the SEC the past two seasons as evidenced by his team-leading 95 tackles and eight of those tackles were for a loss. Bolton also added five pass deflections this past season and has shown that he is great in coverage. He is a classic off-ball linebacker than can play in the middle or on the outside.

Later Round OLB Options:

Tavante Beckett, Marshall, 5-10, 209 pounds:

The Virginia Tech transfer has been a wrecking ball at Marshall and has led the Herd in tackles the last two seasons including an impressive 90 in COVID shortened 2020. He was a C-USA Defensive Player of the Year candidate in 2019 and took home the award in 2020. Beckett isn’t going to be selected early due to his size, but he plays much larger than his listed measurements and can be an interesting chess piece for Joe Woods.

Jordan Smith, UAB, 6-7, 250 pounds:

Smith was a straight-up star at UAB and that star potential has a real possibility of translating to the next level. He was an absolute monster in the backfield as evidenced by his team-leading nine tackles for loss last season and was dominant as a pass rusher leading the Blazers with 4.5 sacks. Almost the exact opposite of Beckett, Smith is a lengthy edge rusher with the athleticism to develop into a key contributor.

 

 

Mock draft watch: Breaking down Fantasy Pros’ latest projection for the Browns

Zaven Collins is a polarizing prospect

Marching through “mock draft season”, everyone likes to get in on who the Cleveland Browns will be taking. At this point, without knowing who the Browns have re-signed or have added in free agency, everything is on the table.

This mock draft is brought to you by Fantasy Pros Fantasy Football podcast host, Kyle Yates.

LB Zaven Collins, Tulsa

This draft, all the attention for the Browns should be on their defense. Their offense is humming and they still get Odell Beckham Jr. back in the fold in 2021. The LB spot in Cleveland could use some upgrading and the Browns do just that by bringing in Zaven Collins from Tulsa. He’s a smart and instinctive linebacker that can be a force against the run and also a factor when dropping into coverage, as evidenced by his four interceptions in 2020.

My Opinion

While I don’t disagree with positional need, this is not a draft pick I would expect Andrew Berry to do or sign off on.

According to Over The Cap, in 2020, the Browns had the eighth-lowest salary allocation to the linebacker position and are currently projected to have the lowest salary cap allocation to the position in the entire NFL. With this in mind, the current Browns regime, to this point, has not allocated significant resources in the linebacker position, and spending a first-round draft pick at the position would be out of character for this front office and coaching staff.

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NFL mock draft roundup links Saints to linebackers, and a Sam Darnold trade

The latest 2021 NFL mock draft roundup links the New Orleans Saints to linebacker prospects and a possible Sam Darnold trade with the Jets.

The last round of 2021 NFL mock drafts doesn’t feature much consensus for where the New Orleans Saints may look to improve, but the flip side to that is noting how many options they have to work with. And the projections aren’t limited to draft prospects; one brave speculator has the Saints trading their first-round pick for embattled New York Jets quarterback Sam Darnold. Here’s what’s new in draft circles:

Saints pick a blue-chip linebacker in PFF’s 2021 NFL mock draft

The New Orleans Saints picked Tulsa LB Zaven Collins, Bronko Nagurski Trophy winner, in Pro Football Focus’ latest 2021 NFL mock draft.

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The college football bowl season is all wrapped up and many NFL teams have shifted gears into preparing for the upcoming 2021 NFL draft, though the New Orleans Saints are still alive in the hunt for Super Bowl LV. So it’ll be a while before we start to seriously look at where they can improve in this year’s draft.

Still, it’s worth noting who is being connected to the Saints around the league’s orbit. The latest 2021 mock draft comes from Pro Football Focus draft analyst Anthony Treash, who has the Saints picking Tulsa linebacker Zaven Collins. Collins recently won the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, awarded to the nation’s best player on defense. Initially overlooked in recruiting circles, he’s gone on to become one of college football’s most dynamic athletes. Here’s what Treash wrote of him and what he could bring to the Saints:

“Collins did unprecedented things at the linebacker position this season for Tulsa. His 93.7 coverage grade sits well above the previous PFF record set by former UCLA Bruin and current Minnesota Viking Eric Kendricks in 2014 (92.1).

“The 6-foot-4, 240-pound off-ball linebacker tallied four interceptions, three forced incompletions and nine passing stops when dropping into coverage. He was also one of the top blitzing weapons in the country. All told, Collins picked up 16 pressures on 51 rushes and was the only player at his position to record 90.0-plus grades in coverage and as a blitzer.”

Linebacker is probably going to be a position of need for New Orleans; several players are headed for free agency, and midseason trade pickup Kwon Alexander is in for a lengthy recovery from Achilles surgery (to say nothing of his big salary cap hit). If Zack Baun doesn’t make a big jump in his second season, the Saints may need another big investment.

So it’s been a popular well for the Saints to go to in recent mock drafts. Another linebacker prospect connected to them was Missouri’s Nick Bolton, a two-time All-SEC selection. While they probably won’t be able to land the draft’s top linebacker (Penn State’s Micah Parsons), New Orleans can still improve later in the first round.

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Colts’ 2021 NFL mock draft after Week 14

A mock draft after Week 14.

As the offseason draws near, we continue to look at potential prospects for the Indianapolis Colts in the 2021 NFL draft.

The Colts are still well in the playoff picture so the focus around the team isn’t on the draft or the upcoming moves in the offseason. It’s seeing how far they can go if they make the playoffs.

Holding the No. 23 pick after Week 14, here’s a look at a mock draft for the Colts with three games remaining in the regular season:

This Gator made USA TODAY Sports’ top six plays for Week 12

Florida Gators wide receiver Trevon Grimes made one of the best plays on Week 12 of college football on Saturday with a TD catch vs Vandy.

Editor’s note: This article was originally published by USA TODAY Sports and has been republished in its entirety below. 

Week 12 in college football started off with some flair in a wild Tulsa-Tulane double-overtime game that featured two incredible plays by the winning team – a Hail Mary and a walk-off pick-six – that absolutely had to make this list. Interceptions are prevalent on this week’s top plays, including a rare big-man interception in the Big Ten.

The top six plays from Week 12: