La'el Collins' journey to the Dallas Cowboys was anything but simple. Once projected as a first-round pick, Collins' stock endured a free fall after police wanted to speak to him in connection with the murder of a one-time romantic partner, Brittany Mills.
Police first called Collins in connection to the case on Monday, April 27. That was just three days before the NFL Draft, and a new piece from The MMQB's Robert Klemko tells the story of Collins' unprecedented week.
Collins began to cry on the day before the draft while delivering the news to his friends and family that he would have to leave Chicago, the site of the draft.
"This is on me," one person in the hotel room told Klemko. "I own this. I had nothing to do with this, but it's affecting y'all. I just feel bad that we're not going to be able to live our dream at the draft."
The full story is worth checking out, and includes two interesting nuggets about where Collins might have ended up if not with the Cowboys. It sounds like the St. Louis Rams were ready to draft Collins in the seventh round.
"There was a team that had drafted four offensive linemen, and they said, 'We're taking him,'" Collins' agent Rick Smith said. "And I texted back, 'You're going to embarrass yourself. You're going to waste this pick.'"
The Rams are the only team in the NFL that drafted four offensive linemen. If Smith was bluffing, they fell for it. St. Louis' final pick was Memphis defensive end Martin Ifedi.
Collins wound up choosing the Cowboys, but he had a backup plan in place. Klemko writes that Collins had a trip set up to visit Miami if he didn't feel comfortable in Dallas. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones made sure he closed the deal, and now Collins has a chance to be part of the best offensive line in the league.
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