La'el Collins has signed with the Dallas Cowboys and it comes as he was an NFL free agent after falling out of the draft last week and the lineman out of LSU was being pursued by the Philadelphia Eagles, Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, New York Giants, Baltimore Ravens, Detroit Lions and New Orleans Saints.
--UPDATE: Sources report that Collins is signing with the Dallas Cowboys after visiting with Jerry Jones. The Miami Dolphins and Bills were also very interested.
According to NFL.com, Collins has maintained his innocence and has not been named a suspect in the crime. Collins has spoken with Baton Rouge police and NESN.com reports that he has a "solid alibi" for the crime and was not involved. Teams likely know this information and it probably checks out or they would not be trying to woo Collins to sign. Teams could have drafted Collins to retain his rights, but his agent said he would not sign if he was drafted in the later rounds.
Collins came into the draft as a projected top 15 pick and due to the murder investigation he slipped out of the draft entirely. According to Pro Football Talk, the Giants are "in the mix" for Collins even after drafting Ereck Flowers in the first round, while the Patriots have "reached out" to Collins. NFL.com first reported that the Dolphins and Bills were working to meet with Collins, with Rex Ryan eventually having dinner with the lineman.
The Dolphins have enlisted his former LSU teammate Jarvis Landry to help recruit and the NFL.com report says that the Lions, Saints, Ravens and Rams all have interest in Collins. Collins is being looked at by a number of teams, as he is a first round talent and a player that could make a huge difference on the offensive line. Collins was considered a potential top 10 to top 15 pick and now CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora calls him the "the most coveted undrafted free agent in NFL history," due to those circumstances.
According to Pro Football Talk, Collins met with the Dallas Cowboys and he spoke with owner Jerry Jones about potentially signing with the team. Adding Collins would be a major coup for the Cowboys, as they already drafted another player that had top 10 talent and fell in the draft in Randy Gregory. The team received high marks for their pick of Byron Jones in the first round and many also see Gregory as a high upside player. Adding Collins would make this offseason a great one when it comes to prospects for the Cowboys.
The Eagles have reached out to Collins and the Patriots are also considered a landing spot for the undrafted free agent. The Cowboys have a need at guard and Collins could fill that, while the Giants have been looking to upgrade the offensive line and could add him after the team drafted Ereck Flowers. NJ.com reports that the Giants are "in the mix" for Collins along with the Bills and Dolphins. Collins has the chance to sign a three year deal and he has an advantage over other rookies, as they will sign four year deals and that means he can be an unrestricted free agent one year early.
