STRENGTHS - Jamie Collins is an explosive athlete with a nice build for the position, displaying good definition and a lot of muscle. He is an athlete who can challenge to make plays all over the field, versus the run or the pass. He is an explosive, quick twitch athlete who attacks the line of scrimmage to thump the ball carrier. He can really close on the ball and shows a real desire in his play. While blitzing, Collins can threaten the edge, dip his shoulder and get to the quarterback, but his real skill is athletically chasing down the ball carrier or the quarterback with his speed. Collins is a very physically gifted player.
WEAKNESSES - Collins looks to be better suited to stand up as an outside backer, rather than to play out of a three-point stance as he looks much more natural standing up. He is comfortable to make plays in space and he can really cover ground, however, his play on tape doesn't show the elite skills he displayed at the combine, and he looks more straight-line fast than anything else. At times, he looks out of sorts when moving away from the line of scrimmage and into coverage and at other times he looks perfectly natural in zone. When he gets confused, he looks to want to slow things down and stops moving his feet.
SUMMARY - Collins is a very intriguing athletic specimen who shows great straight line speed and the ability to physically attack the perimeter with his speed. He is rangy and covers a lot of ground when his assignment is to chase down the ball carrier. He is explosive and can get to the quarterback, but he looks more comfortable doing it from a blitz package and not necessarily out of a three-point stance. Collins appears to play a relentless brand of football and is an aggressive defender, and sometimes it will cause him to over pursue the ball. He is a reliable, excellent tackler who hits with real power and finishes through contact. He is always running down plays to the far side of the field and finishes through the whistle. One of his biggest strengths is the ability to close on the ball, and it is incredible to watch him close on the ball. He is very raw in his pass rush skill-set and he doesn't have a great array of moves, and once he is stopped there is no real counter move. He is a raw pass rusher but his athleticism and ability to play sideline to sideline will get him looked at early in the draft from teams that are looking for a pass rushing outside linebacker. Currently he is a carrying an early third-round grade.