Why Combine Standout Jalen Collins Is an Ideal Fit for 49ers' Secondary

Of all the standouts at the NFL combine, one who should have caught the attention of the San Francisco 49ers is LSU cornerback Jalen Collins.

Collins was already viewed as a second-day prospect before the combine, but after a strong performance in his workouts in Indianapolis, he is perhaps a candidate to be taken in the first round when the draft kicks off in Chicago on April 30.

The 49ers have a number of needs to address in the draft following a disappointing 8-8 season in 2014. Although the secondary performed well above expectations last campaign, the back end of their defense requires some extra depth following a year in which it was ravaged by injuries.

His showing at the combine will have done much for Collins' draft stock and may well have moved him up the 49ers' draft board. Here I break down why he is an ideal fit for a secondary in need of quality depth at the cornerback position.

Collins' Combine Performance

At 6'1" and 203 pounds, it was already clear that Collins has the size and length for the cornerback position, but he caught the eye with an impressive performance in the 40-yard dash, clocking a good time of 4.48 seconds for someone of his large frame.

Collins also set respectable marks of 36 inches in the vertical jump and 124 inches in the broad jump. Indeed, it was a solid overall showing from Collins, whose main struggles came in the second run of the gauntlet drill as he struggled to make clean grabs.

The obvious athletic ability of Collins created much buzz among draft analysts, a fact evidenced by his new position on mock draft boards.

Indeed, B/R's Matt Miller has Collins going in the first round, as do NFL.com draftniks Charles Davis, Daniel Jeremiah and Lance Zierlein. However, is there a need for the 49ers, who own the No. 15 pick, to pick him up that early after finishing No. 5 in pass defense in 2014?

Establishing the Need

How the 49ers feel about the cornerback position heading into the draft will largely depend on what happens with their two free agents at the position, Chris Culliver and Perrish Cox, who are both coming off strong seasons.

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Cox recorded five interceptions in 2014 while Culliver had four and ended the campaign as the No. 14 corner in the league, per Pro Football Focus. However, with their limited cap room—the 49ers are poised to be over $3 million under the cap, according to Over The Cap—it is more likely that San Francisco, as CSN Bay Area's Matt Maiocco points out, will only be able to re-sign one of that duo.

Even with one of their top corners departing, the Niners will still have plenty of depth at the position. Tramaine Brock figures to take one of the starting spots after missing most of 2014 with turf toe. Jimmie Ward will be the leading candidate for the nickel spot despite a disappointing rookie year. Dontae Johnson has the opportunity to build on a promising maiden season in the league.

Furthermore Keith Reaser and Kenneth Acker, who both redshirted due to injuries in 2014, enter 2015 aiming to prove they are worth a spot on the depth chart. Yet, although the Niners have plenty of promise at cornerback, the one thing lacking among their depth in that area is reliability.

Brock and Ward are coming off an injury-hit year while Johnson is still relatively unproven and Cox has just one strong season to his name. In the two campaigns in which he has received regular playing time, Culliver—who missed 2013 due to an ACL injury—has been the 49ers' most consistent cornerback, and it is far from certain he will be back.

In short, the 49ers need another corner who they can rely on immediately. That is where Collins comes in.

Why He Fits

It would be too easy to highlight a combination of size and speed as the main reason why Collins is a strong fit for the 49ers, but there are a number of other areas in which he wins.

What the Niners have lacked for so long is a true shutdown corner, and Collins' range of abilities gives him the potential to become just that at the NFL level. He is aggressive and uses his hands well, regularly excelling in press coverage in his time at LSU to disrupt routes and give opposing quarterbacks a tight window in which to throw.

San Francisco should love Collins' physical traits, but it is the way he uses them that is so impressive. He has quick feet to change direction and drive on the ball and can utilize his long arms to make plays even when operating in a trail technique.

Additionally Collins has displayed the leaping ability to go up and high point the football to deflect passes. For a 49er team that saw Ward shredded by the physically imposing Brandon Marshall in the Week 2 loss to the Chicago Bears in 2014, that quality should not be undervalued.

The athleticism and instincts Collins possesses allowed LSU to put him on an island against an opponent's best receiver, which is something it did in its 20-13 overtime loss to Alabama with relative success. Collins regularly lined up against Amari Cooper and did a decent job in restricting arguably the best receiver in the draft to eight catches for 83 yards and one touchdown.

Collins' proficiency in facing an opponent's top wideout will excite NFL teams. But for the Niners the fact that he was committed and impressive in supporting the run will be just as important.

In 2014, Collins recorded 38 tackles, with three for a loss. His dedication to stopping the ground game fits well with a 49er defense that ranked No. 7 against the rush last term and has long been built on forcing opponents to be one-dimensional.

Collins is a corner who can come in and make an immediate impact in defending the pass and the run. He will also have some familiarity with one of his teammates should he be drafted by the Niners having played a year with free safety Eric Reid at LSU. However, like any rookie, there are plenty of areas of his game that still require work.

Shortcomings

While he has displayed good speed, Collins does not project as a player teams can line up in the slot with any sort of effectiveness. Although he is quick, Collins can be quite stiff hipped and has displayed a tendency to allow receivers inside too easily at times.

Indeed, the one touchdown scored by Cooper in the thriller against Alabama came as a result of Collins giving him the freedom to gain separation over the middle. That lack of versatility should be a concern to the 49ers who, in Johnson and Ward, have players in their secondary who can be moved around at corner and safety.

Ball skills, as evidenced by his below-par showing in the gauntlet drill, are also an issue for Collins. He had nine pass deflections in his final campaign with the Tigers but had just three interceptions over three seasons in Baton Rouge.

His effort in tackling also tailed off toward the back end of the year, particularly in their Music City Bowl defeat to Notre Dame. The fact is that the majority of Collins' problems can easily be worked on by the 49ers, whose newly appointed and highly respected defensive backs coach Tim Lewis has the capability to develop him into a top level starter in the pros.

Final Thoughts

Having drafted four defensive backs in 2014 and with needs at a number of positions including wide receiver and on the defensive line, using an early-round pick on the secondary may appear something of a waste.

Yet, given the pieces San Francisco may lose in free agency, there is no guarantee the back end of its defense will be able to perform to the same standard in 2015. And, in order to help firm up the secondary for the coming season and in the long term, it would be wise for the 49ers to acquire one of the top corners from this year's class.

Collins, with his fantastic combination of size, speed, length and football instincts, is an ideal fit to the team and will make plays right away. It remains to be seen what approach San Francisco will take to filling the holes the prospective departures of Culliver and Cox could leave, but in Collins it has the opportunity to acquire a player who has the ability to form a talented partnership with Johnson in the coming years, giving the 49ers two big-bodied corners to build their secondary around.

Nicholas McGee is a San Francisco 49ers Featured Columnist based in Leeds, England. Follow him on Twitter @nicholasmcgee24.