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2015 NFL Mock Draft: Kansas City Chiefs Take OT La’el Collins

By Dan Schmelzer

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With free agency mostly in the bag, the bulk of the attention of NFL teams is now on the 2015 NFL Draft. Just over a month away, on Thursday, April 30th, teams will make their first round selections, time is ticking.

As the draft approaches closer, more and more mock draft are starting to surface. While it is very tough to correctly predict who a team will draft, mock drafts are an interesting practice that helps place possible options for teams in the first round.

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The Kansas City Chiefs hold the 18th pick in the first round, and they could go in many different directions. Most early mock draft had them selecting a wide receiver with the pick, but with Jeremy Maclin signed to the team as a free agent, and the top three receivers (Kevin White, Amari Cooper and DeVante Parker) expected to be off the board when they pick, the Chiefs could easily decide to go in another direction.

Offensive line and cornerback would also make a lot of sense for the Chiefs, and are positions where they could get some value at the 18th overall pick.

In the most recent mock draft for With the First Pick of the FanSided network, Carl Cockerham did a two-round mock draft that had the Chiefs selecting offensive tackle La’el Collins with the 18th overall pick.

Here is what Cockerham had to say about the draft selection of Collins:

"The Kansas City Chiefs addressed the receiver position in free agency. So they get some pass protection for quarterback Alex Smith to throw to his receivers. The rest of their team looks pretty good so they may be able to do something after that."

That is certainly an interesting selection for the Chiefs, and one that would really help solidify their offensive line.

Right now, the Chiefs have a lot of question marks up front. Tackle Eric Fisher, the first overall pick in 2013, has not grown to be an elite left tackle option, but he is entering his very important third season in the league. Most prospects make the most improvements in their third seasons, and Fisher can certainly still at least be a solid option at left tackle. The Chiefs will likely let him continue to grow at the position.

They traded for Ben Grubbs this off season, who is a solid veteran with great run blocking skills. He is likely to step in and hold down the left guard position for Kansas City next season. Jeff Allen is a versatile lineman who also figures to make an impact on the offensive line as well, probably at both right guard and tackle at times.

After losing Rodney Hudson in free agency, center is a huge question mark, but veterans Paul Fanaika (picked up in free agency from the Arizona Cardinals), Derek Sherrod and Donald Stephenson are solid guard and tackle options for the team.

While Cockerham mentioned protecting quarterback Alex Smith, Collins is actually a much better run blocker than pass blocker at this point in his career. He gets a very quick burst off of the snap, and uses his massive frame (6-foot-4, 305 pounds) to maul defenders in the running game.

Collins has great quickness for a man of his size that allows him to get to the second level very well. He uses his strength to consistently drive defenders down field, and rarely lets a defender go once he gets hold of him. He is an aggressive blocker with a nasty streak that coaches love.

Collins could step in day one for the Chiefs and help them in the run game. However, in pass protection, Collins is a little bit raw as a prospect. He uses his quickness very well to stay in front of pass rushers, but he does not have very good balance, which makes him easier to set up for a speed rusher.

His lack of balance hurts him in pass protection, and sometimes his aggressiveness works against him as well. Collins did great against power rushers in college, but he did seem to consistently get set up by crafty speed rushers.

Collins was a left tackle at LSU, but he appears to be much better suited as a right tackle or guard in the NFL. If he improves against quick outside pass rushers, Collins would be a great offensive lineman in Kansas City for many years.

Regardless, his strength as a run blocker would immediately help the team, as they run their offense around running back Jamaal Charles. If available with the 18th pick, I would agree with Cockerham, Collins would be a great fit for Kansas City.

In the second round of this mock, Cockerham had the Chiefs selecting cornerback D’Joun Smith from Florida Atlantic. His explanation of the pick:

"The Chiefs let Brandon Flowers get out of town and they need to replace him. D’joun Smith isn’t from a power-5 conference but when he faced power-5 competition, he held his own. The Chiefs get a very underrated player here and their coverage improves."

Interesting pick here. The Chiefs certainly have a need at cornerback. Sean Smith was great last season, but he is a free agent next year, and the team has little else to speak of at the position.

D’Joun Smith is a little undersized at 5’10”, 187 pounds, but he is very fast and natural on the field. He is very athletic and has good footwork and fluid hips in coverage. Smith would be a nice addition to the Chiefs, and could grow in to a very valuable contributor quickly.

While mock drafts are far from the end-all-be-all, it is fun to look at them and see options that teams could have throughout the draft.

As the draft gets closer, we will certainly get a clearer picture of what teams like the Chiefs will be looking to do. For now, a dominating offensive lineman and an athletic cornerback in the first two rounds certainly makes sense and would help the Chiefs tremendously in 2015.

Next: Chiefs Should Target QB Brett Hundley in Draft

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