Zaven Collins compared to other Cleveland Browns linebackers

Zaven Collins Pro Day did not separate him from other Browns linebackers.  

Zaven Collins, the outstanding linebacker from Tulsa has been the choice of several analysts including this one at 26th overall for the Cleveland Browns in the NFL draft. After his Pro Day, however, this fan is not sure that the results are that outstanding.

First of all, we were being told that Collins had blazing speed for a big man and that he could really do things that normally only a strong safety could do.

That didn’t seem to be the case. In actuality, his time was 4.67, which is fast but not warp speed.  He’s not as fast as Sione Takitaki, who was clocked at 4.63, or Mack Wilson, who clocked 4.65, or Jacob Phillips, who ran a 4.66. So Collins would be the fourth fastest linebacker on the team. That’s still very good, of course just wasn’t “blazing”.

He’s also much heavier than Takitaki, who is listed at 238 lbs on the Browns roster. Collins occupies a lot of real estate at 6-5 and 259 lbs.

It is also interesting comparing him to Barkevious Mingo, a Combine star from 2013 who turned out to be an average NFL linebacker. Mingo was 6-foot-4-and-1/4 of an inch and 241-pounds, significantly smaller than Collins, and was listed as an outside linebacker, although in college he played defensive end for Louisiana State. Mingo’s 40 time was 4.58, significantly faster than all four of the current linebackers on the team.

Collins achieved 19 reps on the 225-pound bench press. But Takitaki bench pressed 24 reps. Mingo, for his part, did not partake in the bench press, and neither did Wilson or Phillips.

Collins’ 35 inch vertical was very good for a big man. But Takitaki and Mingo beat him there, both with 37 inches. Wilson was two inches less than Collins with 33 inches.

The broad jump of 10-foot-2 edges Wilson by an inch at 10-1 but is three inches short than Takitaki’s 10-5. Mingo jumped 10-8.

The on-field numbers show he was very good, with 4.0 sacks this past season and 4 interceptions and 7.5 tackles for loss and 54 total tackles, two passes defended, and 54 total tackles. These are all good numbers.

Mingo, the sixth overall pick, had only 38 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, 0 interceptions, and 8.5 tackles for loss in his last year of college at Louisiana State University, playing as a defensive lineman rather than a linebacker.

Takitaki was statistically much more impressive with 119 total tackles, 10.0 tackles for loss and 4.0 sacks and three passes defended in his senior year at Brigham Young

In retrospect, does anyone remember why Mingo became the sixth overall pick of the NFL draft? It seems kind of crazy looking back.

The Browns were not sure if Jabaal Shear would transition successfully from defensive end in the 4-3 to outside linebacker in the 3-4. So, they drafted a 4-3 defensive end who they intended to convert to an outside linebacker in the 3-4. Brilliant. Ironically, they would both get Super Bowl rings on the same New England team.

Mingo was a good Combine performer, but not a super freak. In any case, that didn’t translate to stardom on the field. The warning flag should have been that he didn’t participate in the bench press at all. LSU must have a really good publicist is the only observation that can be made.

Takitaki’s numbers at the Combine as well as on the playing field suggest he was a slightly more impressive prospect than Collins. But since Takitaki was drafted 80th overall in the third round, it’s not clear why Collins is deserving of first-round pick status. It would have to be on the basis of the eyeball test, heads-up play, and intangibles rather than demonstrated athleticism.

As noted previously by this author and many others, the 2020 season was noteworthy because so many games were canceled or impacted negatively by Covid-19, critically impacting the ability to scout the NCAA football season.

Many of the smaller school players are not represented poorly or not at all on the draft board this year, meaning that the talent pool is certainly diluted by the mid-first round or so. Collins was certainly a dominant player, but the numbers show that he is not as fast as the other Browns linebackers, nor does he possess the same upper body strength.

He’s bigger than the other linebackers, but not really a physical freak in terms of being able to do things that the others cannot.

Zaven Collins is going to be a very good NFL linebacker. Whether or not he can start in year one is not clear to this fan, who does not claim to be a great talent evaluator. The measurables are just not there, other than size, so a lot has to depend on film study and the eyeball test rather than the more nebulous concept of athleticism. The Browns have other players who can run fast and tackle hard, too.

Were it not for the pre-draft hype, Collins did just fine in his Pro Day workout. Certainly, he showed enough to earn a living playing in the NFL on Sundays.

Admittedly, however, his skills might have been a little oversold and we in the media probably should pump the brakes before we make him out to be the next Lawrence Taylor. It’s very possible that he could be a Cleveland Brown by the end of Draft Day, but perhaps we should not go crazy over him as we did for Barkevious Mingo.

He may or may not be the guy in the first round. If he is drafted in a later round, it would be a shame if the theme is that he has failed. No, he has not. The press will have failed in their pre-draft hype. Don’t hang it on the player. Being selected in the NFL draft is a great honor, no matter what round it is.

Truthfully, we fans probably should pump the brakes a little, because we might be setting him up for disappointment, promising him that he is going to be a first-round pick, with all the glamour and extra money and prestige that go along with it.

Looking at the numbers for his performance and Pro Day measurables, he’s in the conversation with some really good players. Takitaki is a fellow that has a chance to be a real star in the NFL. Mingo was a disappointment, mainly because he was overhyped, not that he was a poor player.

Wilson is the player that he would be in the most direct competition with, and he compares favorably with Wilson. But Wilson was a fifth-round pick.

It’s far from clear that Andrew Berry will pull the trigger in the first round for a linebacker unless there is a super clear pattern of athletic stardom emanating from Tulsa. This writer is not quite catching that vibe at this point, but a later round has a much higher chance.

I like Collins a lot, but after Pro Day, I am much less certain that he is a first-round pick. Is it crazy to think he might last until the second round? Fans are invited to submit their own scouting reports in the comments section below.