NFL Mock Draft 2015: San Diego Chargers Select La'el Collins

La'el Collins, OT, LSU

This mock draft gave me a taste of what it might be like to be an NFL general manager. There I sat in my (imaginary) office twiddling my thumbs, whilst waiting to fire off the pick that could potentially catapult the Chargers into contention in the AFC. When suddenly those pesky Miami Dolphins popped their head above water to steal Todd Gurley from my clutches. I had considered Gurley's ongoing recovery from an ACL injury to be enough of an issue to dissuade any teams above me from picking the Top-10 talent (when healthy).

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Nevertheless, I had to quickly consult my board and decided that if we couldn't build a running game through picking a talented all-purpose Running Back as had been intended, we would be best placed to add another piece to a potentially nasty offensive line. With King Dunlap entrenched as the starter at Left Tackle, DJ Fluker looking like a solid player at Right Tackle, and the addition of Orlando Franklin in free agency to cover the Right Guard spot, there was a hole at Left Guard, and I knew the perfect player to fill it.

Enter, La'El Collins, the three-year starter on the offensive line of the Louisiana State Tigers. Having started the last two years as the Tigers' Left Tackle, a position which earned him 2^nd Team All-America honours from AP, he reverts back to the position which may suit his game the best initially in the NFL, as a Left Guard. At times a devastating blocker in the run game, he has a strong punch and good movement skills that have resulted in him often being found battling at the second level on run plays. He had a total of 222.5 pancake blocks in 2,533 offensive snaps (h/t @SECNetwork), with his nasty streak illustrated in this vine (https://vine.co/v/hpm6dQH1mw6) where he pancakes 3 defenders in a matter of seconds.

Now that isn't to say that he will remain at Guard throughout his whole career. With 2 years' experience at Tackle in the SEC, and King Dunlap turning 30 during the 2015 season, he may find himself kicked out to Left Tackle before the end of his rookie contract. He certainly has the ability to develop his game and become a long-time starter on this offensive line no matter what position he ends up playing.

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Catch up with all of the mock draft selections in our 2015 CSC Community Mock Draft Hub.