boats notes - Maliek Collins

[Alexander]

The almost off-sides quick jump into the backfield. Plays with good power, but his jumps into the backfield are risky, taking himself completely out of the play for a chance at a great play.

I can appreciate that. But that was before he got fat.

 

[btcutter]

And what does ownership when COLLINS outplays TCrawford at the 3DT? Does TCrawford slide over to the 1DT?

Can NEVER have too many good DL. It'll take at least 1-2 years before Collins will fully develop. Right now he's very quick and has excellent short area burst but not strong enough against NFL OL. I hope he can gain NFL strength and retain that explosive quickness....that'll be pretty great.

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

The almost off-sides quick jump into the backfield. Plays with good power, but his jumps into the backfield are risky, taking himself completely out of the play for a chance at a great play.

Marinelli wants that backfield penetration. He take 1 gap principles and accentuates it. Upfield and after the QB stop the run on the way.

 

[CowboyChris]

IF we hit on Collins and Tapper and
IF Lawrence and Gregory don't flame out
.......,
Boys and girls we might just have ourselves a D-Line

i would add Mayowa instead of Gregory to your list, cause Gregory's days in the NFL are numbered.

 

[Jstopper]

i would add Mayowa instead of Gregory to your list, cause Gregory's days in the NFL are numbered.

I think reports of Gregory's demise are greatly exaggerrated.

 

[Kaiser]

I think reports of Gregory's demise are greatly exaggerrated.

I agree, I'm not counting on anything from him and I do think Mayowa and Tapper can hold down the position this year - but Gregory could also be a very good rush DE by the end of the season.

 

[CowboyChris]

I think reports of Gregory's demise are greatly exaggerrated.

what's exaggerated? he's failed so many drug tests, one more and its a 1 year suspension.

 

[dallasdave]

Maliek Collins was one of my top 5 DTs (in order: Rankins, Bullard, Collins, Hargrave, Day) for us leading up to the draft. After we selected him I knew he would be the player I wanted to study. I watched 10 games from 2014 and 9 games from 2015.

Initial impressions:
Explosive first step. Moves well laterally. Plays with good pad level. Strong hands. Good motor. Plays hard all 4 quarters.

Notes:
Watching Maliek Collins I see a natural 3-technique (lines up over the outside shoulder of the guard) defensive tackle that can play all three downs. His athleticism jumps off the screen with his movement skills and nice footwork. Strong hands that can jolt blockers and pull down players with one hand. Collins does go to ground more than you want but I think some of that has to do with his all out play. He lined up at every position on the defensive line during his time at Nebraska but is most effective inside attacking upfield. He is a penetrator but he didn't finish some plays in the backfield. He splashes often but there are stretches when he is quiet.

Against the pass Collins has a nice combination of speed and power. He uses his speed to get into a blocker quickly and then executes an arm over move while the OL is still getting set to get into the backfield. It's his go-to move and is very effective. He can convert speed to power with a nice bull rush using that athleticism and strong hands. It's effective enough that OLs have to respect it so they can't sit on speed. Whenever he had an OL isolated 1 on 1 in a passing situation he won more times than not. Collins' athleticism is a weapon on stunts especially as the loop because of his lateral quickness. Collins usually gets himself into an advantageous position with his explosive first step but if an OL can get into position and get their arms engaged he can have trouble getting off blocks. This is an area where he can improve.

In the run game Collins does work against zone because he can usually shoot through and get behind the line of scrimmage before an OL can get on him with his speed. He has enough strength to hold up 1 on 1, you can see him move blockers and plug his gap in the video, but against bigger/stronger NFL linemen he might have trouble holding the point on a consistent basis. Against good double teams he can be taken for a ride. In 2014 Iowa had success late in the 4th when they double teamed Collins and ran at him.

2014 was a very productive season for Collins but his numbers took a big drop in 2015. It may concern people who only look at his stats but I'm not worried because there were things out of his control that affected his production.

1. New coaching staff in 2015 including defensive line coach
2. Losing key players like Abdullah, Bell, and of course Gregory
3. There wasn't a real pass rushing threat outside
4. Rarely doubled in 2014, Collins became the focal point for offenses in 2015 and had to deal with double teams on a more consistent basis
5. The DL coach was fired after the 2015 season

Collins was a captain for the 2015 season, has no injury history, and only missed 2 practices at Nebraska. He was also successful off the field, twice being named an Academic All-Big Ten pick, volunteered his time with Uplifting Athletes, Make-A-Wish, Mad Dads, Madonna Rehabilitation Center and local hospital visits. Collins earned a spot on the Brook Berringer and Tom Osborne Citizenship Teams for his volunteer efforts.

Outlook:
Dallas thinks Maliek Collins is a cornerstone player and I agree. He has the athletic ability you want for the position and also has the intangibles as well to succeed. I think he can make an immediate impact with the skillset he has and think his best football is still to come because he will get coached by Marinelli. He fits our scheme and even has some experience in it.



With the suspensions to Gregory and Lawrence I think Collins will get a lot of snaps early and throughout his rookie season. If I had to guess right now I think Collins starts as the backup 3-tech. We keep T.Crawford as the starter and have Irving and J.Crawford share snaps at LE. With Thornton and T.McClain I think that is a nice athletic group of players with position flex. Marinelli will have a lot of options at his disposal this season even without our two best edge rushers for the first month of the season.

Projecting a draft pick is a tricky proposition but if I had to, with the film I watched, I think Maliek Collins' floor is a good backup 3-technique. With his athleticism and work ethic along with Marinelli's tutelage I think there is a good chance he can become a solid starter for us. If he can improve getting off blocks faster and become more consistent overall he can be even more than that.

Bottom line I think Collins will be a good one.

Nice write up BOAT !!!

 

[waldoputty]

Marinelli wants that backfield penetration. He take 1 gap principles and accentuates it. Upfield and after the QB stop the run on the way.

It is going to be very interesting how Marinelli plays Thornton at 1Tech.
Thornton is used to be double teamed.
If he plays 1 gap, he may be the same player or suddenly generate a lot more pressure?

How was Golden Cock usually used?
The O usually needs 1 OL to handle him, but was he trying to 1 gap?

 

[dogunwo]

It is going to be very interesting how Marinelli plays Thornton at 1Tech.
Thornton is used to be double teamed.
If he plays 1 gap, he may be the same player or suddenly generate a lot more pressure?

How was Golden Cock usually used?
The O usually needs 1 OL to handle him, but was he trying to 1 gap?

I never understood why some teams even bothered to double team Hayden. That seems like bad scouting by those teams.

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

It is going to be very interesting how Marinelli plays Thornton at 1Tech.
Thornton is used to be double teamed.
If he plays 1 gap, he may be the same player or suddenly generate a lot more pressure?

How was Golden Cock usually used?
The O usually needs 1 OL to handle him, but was he trying to 1 gap?

Hayden was attacking shoulders but it didn't much matter. Once they got hands on him it was like velcro.

Thornton is very good on the move. He used to be one of the few guys that could blow up our stretch runs in 2014. Like you say he can anchor double teams.

How well he comes along is how well he uses his hands. You watched Collins rip OL off even when they got their hands inside then swim over them in boat's video. I haven't seen that from Thornton.

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

I never understood why some teams even bothered to double team Hayden. That seems like bad scouting by those teams.

Depends on what you are trying to do. On belly plays where you just want a few yards up the gut it makes sense but yeah you really don't need to even combo him to wash him out.

As an aside I absolutely watch Fred execute combos to either side. Seal the DT and smother the MIKE.

 

[dallasdave]

I agree, I'm not counting on anything from him and I do think Mayowa and Tapper can hold down the position this year - but Gregory could also be a very good rush DE by the end of the season.

 

[dogunwo]

Depends on what you are trying to do. On belly plays where you just want a few yards up the gut it makes sense but yeah you really don't need to even combo him to wash him out.

As an aside I absolutely watch Fred execute combos to either side. Seal the DT and smother the MIKE.

It will be a real treat to see something FINALLY from the 1T position, and not constantly hear that line of crap " well the coaches trust him"

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

It will be a real treat to see something FINALLY from the 1T position, and not constantly hear that line of crap " well the coaches trust him"

Yessir could not agree more. You've been with me on the anti-Velcro. I will witness.

 

[Floatyworm]

Watching the videos.
How did this guy last this long in the Draft?

He wears down pretty quickly. Watched him vs Miami...and he could barley get out of his stance by the 4th quarter. Given that the Nebraska coaching staff ran him into the ground by not subing him out enough....I can see he might have upside here if he is put into a rotation.

 

[BAT]

A 311 lbs defensive tackle who outweighs him by 26 lbs and has similar metrics nonetheless.

I said that.

 

[BAT]

i would add Mayowa instead of Gregory to your list, cause Gregory's days in the NFL are numbered.

Let's wait and see on Gregory. Still rooting for him, Cowboys need him to reach his potential if we plan on doing anything in post season.

Another guy to keep an eye on is Mike Mcadoo, he's the forgotten man. Very similar to Mayowa in body type and skill set.

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

I said that.

25 lbs extra and similar metrics means the heavier guys is a significantly better athlete. You recognized that he was heavier and seemed to present it as inconsequential. Also Bullard doesn't have the hand/arm strength and technique to rip through blocks like Collins does; he reminds me of Jernigan in that regard if not quite that powerful. He isn't going to completely learn a new position so is much less of a projection.

When Marinelli talked about him he said to look at the 2014 tape because that is what he is going to ask him to do. Last year they changed things up on him and he wasn't nearly as productive.

 

[CowboyChris]

Let's wait and see on Gregory. Still rooting for him, Cowboys need him to reach his potential if we plan on doing anything in post season.

Another guy to keep an eye on is Mike Mcadoo, he's the forgotten man. Very similar to Mayowa in body type and skill set.

I'm rooting for any player to step up and produce, but I gave up on Gregory, i remember draft day last year, when he said he was going to clean up and that he got his life in order, i'm the they type you may fool once, but not twice. Gregory's days in the NFL are numbered, jmo