La’el Collins To Meet With The Miami Dolphins

La’el Collins was supposed to be a first round pick last Thursday night. Instead in the days and hours before the draft he left Chicago for Baton Rouge, tried to have his name removed from the draft pool, told teams he wouldn’t sign if not drafted on day one or day two, and then finally was not drafted at all. A double murder shattered his dreams of the NFL.

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The problem? There is no proof that he had anything to do with it and he isn’t even considered a suspect. Baton Rouge police simply wanted to pick his brain about his ex-girlfriend. Welcome to the newer more sensitive NFL.

Teams were quick to pull Collins off their boards and rightly so. Only weeks after Aaron Hernandez was found guilty of murdering Odin Lloyd no team in the NFL is going to risk spending a draft pick on someone who could become a suspect at any time. Mills died at the hospital and her baby who survived the incident died days later.

Now that the dust has settled and Collins has spoken with the police, he is starting to draw interest from around the NFL. In fact, according to his agent, every NFL team has called about his availability. As an undrafted free agent, Collins can pick where he signs. He can sign an incentive laden deal and prove his value. He can sign a one year deal and try and prove his worth. What he can’t do is re-enter the NFL Draft in 2016. He would have needed to be drafted over the weekend and then refused to sign a contract.

Enter the Miami Dolphins. According to an LSU beat writer, Collins plans to meet with the Bills and Dolphins.

If the Dolphins were able to land Collins it would be the biggest steal of the 2015 Draft and he would be penciled in almost immediately as the day one starter at left guard. Able to play tackle, Collins could also step outside in the event Brandon Albert is unable to return to start the season. Earlier Monday, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reported that the Dolphins will meet with Collins on Tuesday.

"Collins will meet with the Dolphins on Tuesday, a day after he met with police in Louisiana in the morning and the Buffalo Bills in the evening, according to a report Monday night in the Baton Rouge Advocate."

The Dolphins would be very wise to work out a deal that pleases Collins from the start. If he leaves Miami a bidding war will most assuredly keep Collins out of Florida. The question though is whether or not the Dolphins are required to follow any rookie wage pool guidelines. According to NFL rules undrafted rookie base salaries do not count against the rookie pool however that is with the understanding that teams traditionally pay undrafted free agents the lowest base salary. That may not be the case for Collins.

It is going to be a very interesting attempt to sign Collins once he is fully cleared by the police, as in a statement from them saying “La’el Collins is clear in this investigation”. Regardless the Dolphins will do themselves very well to get something done on Tuesday with a caveat that any bonus money or guarantees are to be paid only if Collins is cleared.