La'el Collins

I hear you bro, it sure gets frustrating watching a team like Dallas adding talent left and right with players like Collins and Gregory (both top 20 guys in most mocks) while we take guys like these off our draft boards.

With Collins, Gregory, and Byron Jones, Dallas basically had 3 first round draft picks added to a roster that went 12-4. As much as I cant stand the Cowboys, I got to give them major props when it comes to talent acquisition and we haven't even mentioned Greg Hardy yet.

Yea, people can say their philosophy is "thug up the team", but when you are winning division titles and making deep playoff runs nobody cares.

 

Meanwhile we still don't have a RT on the roster that's capable of protecting either of our QB's. We've made so good signings and had a good draft but this is still a concern.

 

I was really surprised they didn't take a RT early in the draft. It makes me wonder if they are going to try and force Poutasi into RT. He belongs at Guard IMO, but I just don't understand how you go into a season with Bell, Stingly, and a rookie with a stud 1st round QB.

 

Anybody open to trying to trade for Doug Free, the RT from Dallas? With Dallas signing Collins and also drafting Chaz Green, the OT from Florida in the 3rd round, they might be willing to move Free.

Dallas might not want a lot they way they are loaded now on the offensive line, so maybe a 4th or 5th rounder might be all it takes. Just a thought.

 

I'm under the impression the front office/coaching staff likes our offensive line.

I'm not getting my hopes up they try to upgrade at all.

 

Collins basically got to choose where he wanted to play. We were never going to be a realistic option.

Although he wouldn't have had much trouble winning the RT job.

 

So if we took him in the 7th and he didn't sign like he said if taken after 3rd..what happens then? Re-enter draft next year?

 

Yea, you are probably right.

 

As I understand the rules, if he was drafted then he would have had the option to sit out the year and renter the 2016 draft. However, since he went undrafted he no longer has that option so he could only sign as an UFA and his salary would be capped at $1.5 over 3 seasons.

He lost millions by not being drafted in the first round, but I guess the bright side is that he got to pick which team he went to.

 

I don't think we would have been automatically out of the running if we really put forth an effort to sign him. We got a young franchise QB, we are putting some weapons on offense, and we got an iconic defensive coordinator in Dick Lebeau that has some talent to work with on that side of the ball as well. We are definitely a team moving in the right direction that could have offered Collins an immediate starting position.

I am not "drinking the cool aid" here, but I think the Titans are an attractive team to young players, generally speaking. If we really had put forth an effort and met with Collins and his family and laid out how important a player he would be joining our team, we might have had a shot. I mean, he could come here and be one of the star players on the team right away, a core foundation player.

Now I know we don't have a billion dollar stadium to "wow" recruits with and we don't have an iconic owner like Jerry Jones flashing his SB rings at everybody, but I still think we can compete with Dallas for players.

Maybe I am wrong here and the lure of playing with the "star" on the side of your helmet is too much to compete with.