Short Area Quickness
Collins is only 5’10”, but weighs about 220 lbs. This compact frame is great for delivering powerful blows to defenders, but it also limits his flexibility and quick-twitch athleticism. This is evident when watching Collins’ game, as he doesn’t have the ability to cut as violently as other back in this class.
However, Collins does have moves that allow him to make defenders miss. He does a good job of setting up defenders, and has pretty good flexibility for his frame with good balance. These traits combine to helping him make defenders miss, but only sparsely.
On the first play above Collins does a good job. He cuts across a DB and then cuts further back inside, against the grain. This gives sets up a solid gain where a defender got good backfield penetration.
The second play shows one of the most ankle-breaking moves Collins put on a defender. You won’t mistake him for LeSean McCoy, but Collins crosses over a DB. This isn’t something Collins has the ability to consistently do, as can be seen on the third play. Players with good short area quickness make this defender miss, and Collins can’t do it.
On the fourth play, Collins makes a pretty nice cut to make a defender whiff. He uses short, choppy strides on the play, which are good for navigating through traffic.
On the fifth play, Collins does a good job again of weaving through traffic. He’s not going to be able to make defenders miss consistently in one-on-one situations at the next level, but at the very least he has the short area quickness to move nimbly through tight spaces.
Burst/Acceleration
Burst is an important aspect to any RB’s game, as explosion through holes helps create yardage. Collins won’t shock anyone with his burst, but he does a good enough job to get through the line of scrimmage and leave defenders behind him.
On the first play above, Collins burst through the line well and leaves a DB diving at his feet and he races into the end zone. On the second play, Collins shows hesitation through the hole and then bursts to leave two defenders behind him on the ground.
On the third play above, Collins gets into open space and then fails to burst past a defensive back. He had the option to go either to the edge or down the field, but the back is able to get to him. That doesn’t mean he wasn’t able to get to the edge, as he does in the fourth play, but it might not be consistent for him in the NFL.
On the final play, Collins shows good burst to get into the second level.
