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La'el Collins was universally considered a first rounder, with a lot of "experts" having him gone by the second half of the first night of the draft. Then news broke that Collins was under questioning regarding the death of his girlfriend, and Collins value started dropping faster than my pants when I get home from work.
Now anyone can speculate, but nobody really knows what really happened.... Did I mention that anyone can speculate? Because that is what I am about to do.
Collins and his agent petitioned to have Collins removed from the draft, so he could enter the supplemental draft (this request was denied by the NFL). This was presumably done because Collins would get far less money being picked in the later rounds than his first round talent would be worth.
That to me doesn't seem to be the action/mindset of someone that is guilty and feels like they won't be around for the supplemental draft. If he was guilty and going to be incarcerated, why would he care if he lost his draft eligibility or was drafted in a later round to a team he will never play for? Wouldn't he want to be drafted right away, before all the details came out, if for nothing else than to say he made it to the NFL?
OK, that's my two cents. I should also add that I know nothing about the case, other than the draft fallout... but hey, isn't speculating one of the biggest aspects of pro sports, especially in the offseason?
La'el Collins has the talent to come in and start right away, but also comes with the possibility of never playing a down of pro-ball. If and when to take a risk on Collins is a tough decision, given what little we know about the ongoing legal incident. You better believe that every team is having this discussion today, and opinions are probably all over the chart. With the league cracking down on "trouble players," it makes sense why teams would be wary to draft Collins from a football standpoint, not just the PR spinning you'd have to do when you call his name.
Now that round one is in the books, just how fall will Collins fall? Is his first round talent worth a 3rd round risk, or will Saturday come and go without having his name called?