Landon Collins

Landon Collins (born January 10, 1994) is an American football safety for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Alabama.

Early years

A native of New Orleans, Louisiana, Collins grew up in the Algiers neighborhood. When Hurricane Katrina hit the city in 2005, Collins and his family had to leave, and eventually settled in Geismar in Ascension Parish.

High school career

Collins attended Dutchtown High School, where he was a two-sport star in football and track. In football, he was an All-American defensive back. As a sophomore, he had 26 tackles with 1.5 sacks, one interception and one fumble recovery, while playing alongside senior Eric Reid. Replacing Reid, Collins accounted for 102 tackles with 12 tackles for loss and four interceptions as a junior, earning an 5A All-State selection by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association. The Dutchtown Griffins went unbeaten through the regular season and entered the playoffs as the No. 1 seed, only to be upset 29–14 by No. 24 New Iberia Westgate in the Class 5A quarterfinals.^[1] The Griffins finished the season with a 12–1 record. As a senior, Collins excelled on both sides of the ball. On offense, he rushed for 1,218 yards and 21 touchdowns while averaging 13.7 yards per carry. Meanwhile, in the defensive backfield, he had 34 tackles with four interceptions, two of which he returned for touchdowns. Collins became the first player in LSWA history to earn 5A All-State honors on both sides of the ball.^[2] He led the Griffins to their second straight 10-0 regular season and District 5-5A title. However, in the opening round of the 5A playoffs, they were upset 28–14 by Ponchatoula.^[3] For his individual achievements, Collins earned All-American honors by Parade and USA Today. He also starred in the 2012 Under Armour All-America Game, recording an interception and keying a goal-line stand.^[4]

Also an standout track & field athlete, Collins was one of the state's top sprinters while at Dutchtown. At the 2011 Josten's Invitational, Collins ran the second leg on the Dutchtown 4 × 100m squad, helping lead them to victory and setting a new school record at 41.10 seconds.^[5] He won the 100-meter dash at the 2012 Episcopal 4-Way Championships, recording a personal-best time of 10.28 seconds.^[6] He also posted a career-best time of 21.60 seconds in the 200-meter dash at the 2012 Josten's Invitational, where he placed first.^[7] At the LHSAA Class 5A State Championships, Collins ran the second leg on the Dutchtown 4 × 200m squad, helping them claim the state title with a time of 1:25.40 minutes.^[8] In addition, he also ran a 4.48-second 40-yard dash and had a 36-inch vertical jump.

Regarded as a five-star recruit by both Rivals.com and Scout.com, Collins was ranked as the No. 2 safety prospect in his class.^[9] Recruited by nearly every major school, Collins narrowed his choice down to Alabama and Louisiana State. He announced his decision live at the Under Armour All-America Game, choosing the Crimson Tide, much to the dismay of his mother.^[10][11] Collins acknowledged that he "actually made the decision two years prior."^[4]

College career

As a true freshman at Alabama, Collins contributed as a backup. He started on the kickoff and punt coverage units on and saw reserve action at safety in all 14 season games, recording 17 tackles and blocking a punt. He tied for the team lead with 10 special teams tackles, including nine on kickoff coverage and one on punt coverage. He became a starter his sophomore season in 2013 after Vinnie Sunseri suffered a season ending injury. He finished the year with 70 tackles and two interceptions. As a junior he led the team with 98 tackles and three interceptions. He was named a unanimous All-American.^[12]

After his junior season, Collins entered the 2015 NFL Draft.^[13][14]

College statistics

Professional career

Prior to his junior season, Collins was projected a high first-round selection in the 2015 NFL Draft by various mock drafts.^[15][16][17]

New York Giants

Collins was selected 33rd overall by the New York Giants.^[18]

2015: Rookie year

After the Giants selected Landon Collins in the second round of the 2015 NFL draft, Collins was named a starting safety.^[19] On August 14, 2015, in a preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Collins suffered a sprained MCL.^[20] He missed only one preseason game. Collins started all 16 games out of position at free safety instead of his usual strong safety. Collins made his NFL debut against the Dallas Cowboys, the Giants lost the game 27-26. On October 19, 2015, Collins would record his first interception against the Philadelphia Eagles, intercepting Eagles quarterback Sam Bradford.^[21] On November 15, in an eventual 27-26 loss to the New England Patriots, Collins had a chance to clinch the game in the fourth quarter but dropped a would-be interception from Tom Brady.^[22]

2016

Collins enjoyed a breakout year in 2016 helping the Giants to an 8-3 record as of Week 12, 2016.

At Twickenham Stadium in Week 7 against the Los Angeles Rams, Collins had 2 interceptions, returning his second interception 18 yards for the game clincher, breaking 6 tackles in the effort. His interception would prove to seal the Giants win at 17-10. For his efforts, Collins was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Week in Week 7.

Following a bye week in Week 8, Collins became the first Safety since Pittsburgh Steelers great Troy Polamalu to win an NFL Player of the Week award in back to back games after he won NFC Defensive Player of the Week for the second time.

In Week 9 during a matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles, Collins played an instrumental part in a key divisional victory for the Giants. On the opening drive of the game, he intercepted Rookie Quarterback Carson Wentz, setting up a 26-yard Touchdown pass from Eli Manning to Odell Beckham Jr.

At the end of the first half, Collins also recorded a sack to end the half, potentially preventing an Eagles score.

Collins finished the game with 12 tackles, 1 interception, 1 sack and 1 pass deflection. After the game, Collins was the only player in the NFL to lead his team in all three major categories; Tackles (69), Sacks (3) and Interceptions (3).

Speaking after the Philadelphia game, teammate and Giants Defensive Captain Jonathan Casillas said "Landon’s having one of the best years I’ve probably ever seen from a safety".

Following his performance in Week 10 where he recorded his 4th interception against the Cincinnati Bengals, Landon Collins would seal the game in Week 11 intercepting his 5th pass on the season. Collins intercepted Chicago Bears quarterback, Jay Cutler, with 1:11 left on the clock to seal the game and extend the New York Giants record to 7 - 3. This would prove to be his 4th straight game with an interception.

Collins earned NFC Defensive Player of the Month for November registering 30 tackles, a sack and three interceptions to lead the Giants to a 4-0 record during that time.^[23]

NFL stats

^[24]

References

External links

• Alabama Crimson Tide bio
• New York Giants bio
• Landon Collins on Twitter
  
• Landon Collins on NJ Media