Undrafted Free Agents 2015: La'el Collins Rumors, Predictions for Signed Players

There were 256 players taken at the 2015 NFL draft. Somehow, some way, that wasn't enough. There are a number of high-profile talents still available on the free-agent market who could wind up making a professional impact.

Or, rather, were available.

The hours following the draft are a gold rush of sorts, featuring teams that didn't want these players five hours ago suddenly fighting over them. In some ways, being an undrafted free agent is somewhat preferable to being a late-round pick. The financial guarantees are often nonexistent, but you get to choose the opportunity where you're most likely to make a team.

Given the choice, it's still better to be drafted—teams have an inherent attachment to players they pick—but life as an undrafted free agent isn't so bad. With that in mind, let's take a look at where a few of the most notable undrafted players went and check in on the 

La'el Collins Update

Julio Cortez/Associated Press

Collins, a potential first-round pick who went undrafted after news of Brittany Mills' murder made national headlines, is scheduled to meet with prosecutors in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on Monday. Collins is not a suspect in the case, though police believe he had a prior relationship with Mills. Gil Brandt of NFL Network reported there will be "a lot" of interest if he's cleared of any involvement. 

The situation here is truly unique, given the fact all 32 teams should be monitoring his status based on talent alone. Collins was considered one of the best tackles in this draft, a run-blocking mauler who had the potential to develop into a foundational blind-side protector. Even if Collins never made the full transition to the left side, he has the makeup of a Pro Bowler at right tackle or guard.

It goes without saying that having his name even remotely linked to something like this—no matter his innocence or guilt—will force some teams to shy away. That said, he'll have a robust enough market that he'll have his choice of where he lands. 

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk also noted Collins can make back some of what he's lost financially by signing a standard three-year rookie deal and banking on being given a restricted free-agent tender. 

Updates Notable Undrafted Players

Nick Marshall, QB/CB, Auburn

Julio Cortez/Associated Press

The former Auburn quarterback signed a deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars on Saturday, per ESPN's Adam Schefter. Marshall plans to play cornerback at the next level, which means he picked about as good of a situation as humanly possible.

Jacksonville head coach Gus Bradley made his bones as the Seattle Seahawks defensive coordinator, playing an instrumental role in developing Richard Sherman, Brandon Browner and others. At 6'1", Marshall is short for a quarterback but an above-average height for a corner—a characteristic shared by Sherman, Browner, etc.

If Marshall has the ability to make the transition, we'll see it in Jacksonville.

Mike Hull, LB, Penn State

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

The latest graduate of Linebacker U will be taking his talents to Miami, per Andrew Abramson of The Palm Beach Post. Hull went undrafted despite posting 140 tackles and two sacks as a senior, earning All-Big Ten honors.

Listed at 6'0" and 237 pounds, Hull went unselected for the most classic reason there is: He's small and slow. He does not fit the natural look of an All-Pro, though his workout numbers were impressive in some respects. He put up 31 bench reps and was a top performer in both agility drills at the combine, lending credence to the theory that his top-end speed won't be a problem.

The Dolphins don't have much at inside linebacker on their depth chart, and have quite the history with linebackers who lack ideal size. The coaching staff and just about everything is different, but Hull could have chosen worse places than the one that developed Zach Thomas.

Devin Gardner, WR, Michigan

Leon Halip/Getty Images

To put it mildly, Devin Gardner's senior season at Michigan could have gone better. He threw for 1,896 yards and 10 touchdowns against 15 interceptions, getting benched on multiple occasions as the Wolverines fell apart on both sides of the ball.

Exactly zero people expected him to get selected over the weekend, but he remains an interesting developmental talent with a ton of physical tools. Now that he's signed with the New England Patriots, per Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald, Gardner is already the recipient of the patented Belichick Bump.

The Patriots coach has earned that much respect. Gardner's a 6'4", 216-pound athlete who runs well and has past experience playing receiver. It's not much of a stretch to think he'll be making plays for Belichick within the next couple years.

Player	Position	School	NFL Team
Nick Marshall	CB	Auburn	Jacksonville Jaguars
Devin Gardner	WR	Michigan	New England Patriots
Blake Sims	QB	Alabama	Green Bay Packers (tryout)
Kevin White	CB	TCU	Atlanta Falcons
Josh Harper	WR	Fresno State	Oakland Raiders
Reese Dismukes	C	Auburn	Pittsburgh Steelers
Ray Drew	DE	Georgia	Miami Dolphins
Troy Hill	CB	Oregon	Cincinnati Bengals
Kurtis Drummond	S	Michigan State	Huston Texans
Malcolm Brown	RB	Texas	St. Louis Rams
Zach Vigil	ILB	Utah State	Miami Dolphins
Wes Saxton	TE	South Alabama	New York Jets
Cody Fajardo	QB	Nevada	Oakland Raiders
Mike Hull	ILB	Penn State	Miami Dolphins
Tyler Varga	RB/FB	Yale	Indianapolis Colts
Brandon Bridge	QB	South Alabama	Detroit Lions
Antwan Goodley	WR	Baylor	Dallas Cowboys
Connor Halliday	QB	Washington State	Washington Redskins
DaVaris Daniels	WR	Notre Dame	Minnesota Vikings
Trey Williams	RB	Texas A&M	Houston Texans
Bryan Bennett	QB	Southeastern Louisiana	Indianapolis Colts
Taiwan Jones	ILB	Michigan State	New York Jets
Sean Hickey	OT	Syracuse	New Orleans Saints
Nate Boyer	LS	Texas	Seattle Seahawks
John Crockett	RB	North Dakota State	Green Bay Packers
Trey DePriest	ILB	Alabama	Baltimore Ravens
Cody Prewitt	S	Ole Miss	Tennessee Titans

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