Jamie Collins: Video Highlights for Former Southern Miss LB

The NFL Scouting Combine is an opportunity for players from smaller schools to highlight their talents in front of scouts and coaches from across the NFL.

One player who took full advantage of that opportunity in 2013 was Southern Miss linebacker Jamie Collins, who more than made up for missing the Senior Bowl due to an injury with a strong showing in Indianapolis.

Collins also put on quite a show over the last two seasons for the Golden Eagles, tallying 190 tackles and 16.5 sacks over that stretch while displaying impressive athleticism.

Here's a look back at some of the highlights of his time in Hattiesburg. 

97-Yard Interception for Touchdown vs. East Carolina (2011)

Jamie Collins showed off his speed at February's combine, reeling off a 4.64-second 40-yard dash time that made him one of the top performers at the linebacker position in that drill.

That same speed was on display in a November win over the East Carolina Pirates during Collins' junior season.

As the above highlight shows (albeit not at the best of camera angles), Collins took a tipped Dominique Davis pass and was off to the races, rolling 97 yards for a score in a game that was all Southern Miss.

Showing off His Burst vs. Nebraska (2012)

Granted, at only 250 pounds it's pretty unlikely that many teams in the NFL will look at Jamie Collins as a defensive end, a position that Collins played quite a bit at Southern Miss.

However, there's still plenty to be gleaned from watching him play that position. Collins showed off his burst and explosiveness against the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the 2012 season opener.

In the first quarter of that game in Lincoln, Collins flew into the backfield virtually untouched. As mobile as quarterback Taylor Martinez might be, there was nothing he could do.

Southern Miss was hammered in the game, but Collins fared well, logging 13 total tackles to go along with that sack.

Stoutness Against the Run vs. Western Kentucky (2012)

Collins also spent a fair amount of time lined up as a linebacker at Southern Miss, and he was far from a "one-trick pony" that simply pinned his ears back and got after the quarterback.

In the above footage from a September game against Western Kentucky, Collins quickly disengages from the offensive tackle, gets into the backfield and throws running back Antonio Andrews for a big loss.

Given that Andrews gained over 1,700 yards last year, that's no small feat.

While the Golden Eagles once again came up short on the scoreboard, that was through no fault of Collins, who racked up seven tackles and a sack in the game.

Brighter Times and Better Days vs. Houston (2011)

The 2012 season was an absolute nightmare for Jamie Collins and Southern Miss. The team failed to win a single game, finishing the year 0-12.

That was a far cry from the season before, when the Golden Eagles went 12-2 and defeated the University of Houston in the Conference USA championship game.

Jamie Collins was a big part of that victory over the Cougars. He logged nine total stops in a 49-28 win that propelled Southern Miss on to the Hawaii Bowl.

With that said, Collins' biggest play of the game came on the first play of the second quarter. With the score 7-0, Collins chased down Houston quarterback Case Keenum and threw him for a huge loss on third down.

Shining at the Combine (2013)

As I stated earlier in this article, Collins fared very well at this year's scouting combine.

According to NFL.com, in addition to his 40-yard dash time, which ranked fourth among linebackers, Collins placed among the top five at his position in the three-cone drill and 60-yard shuttle.

Additionally, Collins led all linebackers in both the vertical leap and broad jump, demonstrating the sort of leg strength that helps him explode off the line of scrimmage.