How 5 Rookies Have Fared that the Colts Could’ve Taken Over Phillip Dorsett
Nov 15, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants free safety Landon Collins (21) breaks up a pass during the third quarter against the New England Patriots at MetLife Stadium. New England Patriots defeat the New York Giants 27-26. Mandatory Credit: Jim O
Landon Collins, Safety: New York Giants
Pick: 2nd Round, Pick #33
Height/Weight: 6’0, 225 pounds
College: Alabama
Summary:
For the New York Giants, Landon Collins has lived up to his reputation as a force against the run. He’s made all 14 starts for Tom Couglin‘s Giants at safety, recording 96 tackles, 1 forced fumble, and an interception. His 96 tackles are 2nd among all rookie defensive players.
However, the coverage concerns that came up right before draft time are legitimate, as Collins has clearly struggled in that area so far.
Per ProFootballFocus, Collins is as good as advertised against the run with a +3.0 grade in run defense which is 15th best among all safeties. Nevertheless, his coverage ability has been simply atrocious in his rookie season:
Giants rookie S Landon Collins is bottom-four in yards allowed, YAC & TDs against. Not surprisingly, he's our lowest graded S in coverage.
— PFF (@PFF) December 17, 2015
While the Colts could clearly use an infusion of young talent at safety as mentioned, Collins may not have been the most prudent pick either. The Colts run defense hasn’t been the underlying problem for the defense and an in-the-box safety such as Collins may not have helped as much as say a ball-hawking coverage safety would’ve.
The Colts defense has continued to get destroyed by elite quarterbacks and Collins wouldn’t have really solved any of the secondary’s issues in that department. In fact, he may have made things only worse.