Jalen Collins to Atlanta Falcons: Full Draft-Pick Breakdown

Jalen Collins is a confusing pick on the surface for the Atlanta Falcons at No. 42 overall. However, after looking into it a bit more, it makes a ton of sense. Collins comes off as the ideal Thomas Dimitroff pick outside of his off-field questions related to his reported failed drug tests.

The Falcons needed to upgrade their starting right cornerback spot for the scheme fit in new head coach Dan Quinn's new scheme. The fits for Robert Alford and Dezmen Southward seemingly clear up with this selection as well. There's also an injury question with Collins after a combine medical check.

On the field

Jalen Collins just makes too much sense for the Falcons' new scheme under Quinn. He's a tall (6'1"), long corner who can press well and should be able to play deep third coverages too. He's ideal for the right-side cornerback and should be a great complement to Desmond Trufant.

Collins makes plays on the ball and doesn't catch well, but he does misdirect it often. He does have a tendency to freeze up at times and needs to diagnose plays a lot faster. He also doesn't turn his head often enough downfield and has a lot of technical issues with his footwork and hand technique.

He's a bit of a project in some ways, but the Falcons are drafting based on their scheme and need. The question of what happens with Alford and Southward seemingly gets answered here as well. Collins is likely the nickel corner who plays outside on nickel downs when Alford slides inside.

Then Southward would compete for the starting free safety role due to the cornerback logjam. Atlanta has some athletic talents in the secondary now and should be able to cover nearly anyone once they all figure out their roles within the scheme.

Off the field

There are two big questions when it comes to Collins off the field. The first comes from his reported series of failed drug tests in college. NFL Network's Albert Breer was the first to report his failed tests on April 24. It seems to be his only off-the-field issue, but it can be a big one.

It could be a similar issue to what has essentially caused two players to lose their careers—Justin Blackmon and Josh Gordon are both currently suspended by the league for substance abuse problems. The Falcons take a risk here with Collins, but if the reports are true, hopefully he can stay clean for his NFL career.

The other issue is a broken foot that he ran on at the combine. Apparently, he didn't know that he had the fracture until it was discovered there. According to David Ching of ESPN.com, Collins has already had surgery on his foot to get it fixed and should be ready to go for the start of the season.

Why Collins instead of Eric Rowe or T.J. Clemmings?

This pick doesn't make as much sense with safety Eric Rowe and offensive lineman T.J. Clemmings still left on the board. Clemmings is a perfect fit for the Falcons scheme as a tackle or a guard and would be ideal for their new attitude too. But he has a foot injury that could cause him to miss time.

A Rowe selection would have signaled that the Falcons view Southward as a cornerback and not a safety. But it seems that he is a safety with this move and that Collins at cornerback makes more sense for the team due to the prospect's fit at CB.

Atlanta wasn't going to take someone it didn't feel comfortable with on and off the field. The Falcons seemingly love Collins for them to take him this high. Atlanta has a new secondary partner for Trufant, and the Falcons defense should be much better in 2015 because of it.

For more information on Collins, check out Luc Polglaze's scouting report on him.

All stats used are from Pro Football Focus' Premium Stats, ESPN.com, CFBStats or NFL.com. All combine and pro day info is courtesy of NFLDraftScout.com. All contract information is courtesy of Spotrac.

Scott Carasik is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. He covers the Atlanta Falcons, college football, the NFL and the NFL draft. He's also a Draft Analyst for Pro Football Spot.

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