Longtime NFL writer Peter King decided that April 1st was a good time to release his first mock draft of the offseason and in it he has the Pittsburgh Steelers addressing one of their needs on defense with the 22nd overall selection.
King, who claims he won’t be doing another mock until right before the 2015 NFL Draft, has the Steelers selecting LSU cornerback Jalen Collins in the first round.
King writes:
I guess the Steelers could take something other than a corner in the first round. But it wouldn’t be a good pick.
If the Steelers are going to take a cornerback in the first round, it’s hard to imagine that they would pick Collins because of his lack of experience. While he is an underclassman with great measurables, Collins only started 10 games at cornerback during his career at LSU.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin did have dinner with Collins prior to his Pro Day last week, however, so there is some level of interest in the 22 year-old, who is currently recovering from a foot surgery that took place a few weeks ago.
Collins, who finished his college career with 90 tackles, three tackles for loss, 17 pass breakups and three interceptions, ran a 4.48-second 40-yard dash at the 2015 NFL Combine to go along with a vertical jump of 36 inches. His three-cone time of 6.77-seconds ranked him second among all the cornerback who were invited to Indianapolis.
