Landon Collins:
Of all the players Ozzie Newsome passed on for Breshad Perriman, Landon Collins stands out greater than the rest. Let’s count the reasons why the Ravens could’ve used Collins:
For starters, Collins is a former University of Alabama Crimson Tide player, a school Newsome dips into regularly for acquiring talent. The Ravens safety position was all sorts of under-achieving, with names like Kendrick Lewis, Matt Elam, and Will Hill at the helm. Since Ed Reed had left Baltimore following the 2012 season, the Ravens were looking for a new face to lead the secondary. Collins was back then, and still is today, the man the Ravens needed for the defense.
Collins has been tremendous since his hot-and-cold rookie debut in 2015. Collins has amassed a minimum of 104 tackles per season while also notching eight interceptions primarily as the New York Giants’ strong safety. In fact, Collins’ 2016 season was arguably worthy of a Defensive Player of the Year Award, when Collins recorded 125 total tackles (100 solo) while also tallying on four sacks and five interceptions.
Landon Collins is the epitome of what it means to “Play like a Raven,” and we will more than likely never see him don purple and black in his career. The Ravens passed on Collins for one of, if not the, biggest busts in franchise history. Collins would’ve been by far the best choice for the Ravens to draft back in 2015.
When we look back just three years after the 2015 NFL Draft, we are saddened by the mistakes the organization made. Missing on players happens all the time to every team, but we can’t look back at such a big mistake without wondering what could’ve been.