Former LSU OT La’el Collins comes to Dallas, gets wooed by Jerry Jones, Cowboys
By Clarence E. Hill
Jr.chill@star-telegram.com
The La’el Collins’ recruiting tour hit Dallas on Wednesday night as the Cowboys are joining the sweepstakes for the former LSU star, according to a source.
Collins, a second-team All-American and first-team All-SEC offensive tackle, was considered a can’t-miss, first-round prospect in the 2015 NFL Draft. But he went undrafted last weekend because he was sought in questioning by Baton Rouge police in the April 24 shooting death of his pregnant former girlfriend Brittney Mills.
Collins has never been listed as a suspect and Baton Rouge homicide detectives have not wavered from that stance even after questioning him Monday night.
Per the police, paternity tests revealed he was not the father of Mills’ boy Brenton, who was born after her death but died May 1.
Collins has maintained his innocence all along, telling police he wasn’t even in Baton Rouge during the time of the shooting.
After losing millions by not being draft, Collins is now looking to find a home as an undrafted free agent. And he is being courted by nearly every team in the league, per sources.
Buffalo Bills coach Rex Ryan had dinner with him at a Baton Rouge restaurant on Monday. A number of Miami Dolphins players, including Jarvis Landry, Kelvin Sheppard and Anthony Johnson, who played him in college at LSU, lobbied him to join their team in a meeting Tuesday night in Baton Rouge.
Per reports, the New England Patriots have also expressed their interest, among others.
The Cowboys, however, were the first team to get Collins on a road trip. He made a visit to Dallas on Wednesday night where he was greeted at an undisclosed location with a full-court press from every level of the organization, per a source. Owner Jerry Jones, coaches, players were all on hand to woo Collins.
The meeting seems to be on par with a loop hole in an NFL rule barring teams from meeting with Collins or any other draft eligible player at his school or residence until after final exams.
“Clubs are prohibited from visiting a player who was eligible for the 2015 Draft at his campus or residence if the player has withdrawn from school and final exams have yet to conclude at the school,” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said to the website profootballtalk.nbcsports.com by email. “This includes drafted players, any undrafted players that have signed as free agents, and any undrafted players that have yet to sign.”
Collins has withdrawn from school. Exams will be finished on May 9. He also met with the Cowboys in Dallas and not on campus or in Baton Rouge.
Collins’ meeting with the Cowboys should be the considered the beginning rather than the end of his recruiting tour, per a source. He will continue to weigh his options and find the right fit after losing millions in the NFL Draft.
Rookie free agents sign three-year deals worth $435,000 in 2015, $525,000 in 2016, and $615,000 in 2017. It also comes with a modest signing bonus as teams can spend no more than $88,000 on all their rookie free agents.
Consider that the lowest signing bonus for a seventh-round pick is $52,000 and a top 20 first-round pick usally gets a four-year contract worth more than $10 million with a signing bonus in excess of $4 million.