Landon Collins
Landon Alexander Collins is an American former professional football player who was a safety and linebacker in the National Football League. He played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide, where he was a part of the team that won the 2013 BCS National Championship Game. He was selected by the New York Giants in the second round of the 2015 NFL draft. Collins was named to the 2016 All-Pro Team and went to three Pro Bowls during his tenure with them. He has also played for the Washington Redskins from 2019 to 2021.
Early life
Collins attended Dutchtown High School, in Geismar, Louisiana, 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. 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. 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. 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.Also a 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. He won the 100-meter dash at the 2012 Episcopal 4-Way Championships, recording a personal-best time of 10.28 seconds. 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. 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. 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 top safety prospect in his class and the third best player overall by 247sports.com. ESPN, in their rankings of the 2012 class' top 150 high school football players, also listed Collins as the top ranked safety, but as the sixth player overall, while Rivals.com had Collins as their second best safety and 17th best overall player. 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. Upon choosing Alabama, Collins acknowledged that he "actually made the decision two years prior", but his mother, April Justin, was visibly displeased with her son's decision to choose the Crimson Tide over her LSU Tigers.
College career
2012 season
When Collins arrived in Tuscaloosa for his freshman season, then-defensive coordinator Kirby Smart noted that Collins was a young player struggling to adjust to the nuances of the college game. Shortly after deciding to declare for the NFL draft in January 2015, Collins recalled that as a freshman, "You're going to be lost. You don't know what's going on. You don't know the process of how everything goes." 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. Alabama went on to win the BCS National Championship in 2012.2013 season
After starting safety Vinnie Sunseri tore his ACL during Alabama's 52–0 win against Arkansas, Collins took over the starting job. In his first game as a starter against Tennessee, Collins had an 89-yard interception return for a touchdown. He finished the year with 70 tackles, two interceptions, and two fumble recoveries. Collins' 70 tackles ranked 2nd among the team, only behind starting linebacker C.J. Mosley, despite only having started six games. Despite starting the season 11–0, Alabama concluded the season with an Iron Bowl loss to Auburn and an Allstate Sugar Bowl loss to Oklahoma.2014 season
As a junior, Collins started all fourteen games and led the team with 98 tackles, tied for the team lead in interceptions with three alongside Cyrus Jones, and finished second on the team with two fumble recoveries. He was named a unanimous All-American. The team would go on to make the first ever College Football Playoff, but eventually would lose to Ohio State in the semifinals.After his junior season, Collins entered the 2015 NFL draft. Collins was reluctant to forgo his senior season at Alabama, but he was swayed by the NFL Draft Advisory Board's decision to grade him as a potential first-round pick. Mel Kiper Jr., of ESPN, even had him listed as a top-10 pick in one of his original mock drafts. Collins acknowledged that passing up on the opportunities to compete for another national championship and continue his education at Alabama was difficult, but vowed that he would complete the necessary courses in order to ensure that he would graduate.
College statistics
Professional career
Pre-draft
Prior to his junior season, Collins was projected as a high first-round selection in the 2015 NFL Draft by various mock drafts.New York Giants (first stint)
2015 season
Collins was selected in the second round of the 2015 NFL Draft by the New York Giants. The Giants originally owned the 40th pick, 8th overall in the second round, but made a trade with the Tennessee Titans in order to take Collins. On June 19, 2015, Collins signed a four-year, 6 million contract with the team.Collins entered training camp competing with Cooper Taylor and Nat Berhe to be the New York Giants' starting free safety, after they lost veterans Quintin Demps, Antrel Rolle, and Stevie Brown to free agency in the off season. On August 14, 2015, in a preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Collins suffered a sprained MCL. He missed only one preseason game. The New York Giants named him the starting free safety to begin his rookie season. Collins was switched from his natural strong safety position since he was better suited to play free safety than Brandon Meriweather.
He made his professional regular season debut in the Giants' season opener against the Dallas Cowboys and finished the 27–26 loss with four combined tackles. On October 19, 2015, Collins made his first career interception, picking off Sam Bradford and making five combined tackles in the Giant's 27–7 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. On December 20, 2015, Collins recorded a season-high ten combined tackles and a pass deflection in a 38–35 loss to the Carolina Panthers. He finished his rookie season with 112 combined tackles, nine pass deflections, and an interception in 16 starts. He was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team. The New York Giants finished 6–10 and head coach Tom Coughlin resigned at the end of the season.
2016 season
Collins enjoyed a breakout year in 2016 helping the Giants to an 11–5 record and to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2011.With the selection of Darian Thompson in the 2016 NFL draft, Collins was able to switch back to his originally intended position of strong safety. He was named the de facto starting strong safety to begin the regular season.
In the season opener against the Cowboys, Collins recorded six solo tackles and a pass deflection in his regular season debut at strong safety. The following week, he made six combined tackles and recorded his first career sack on Drew Brees in a 16–13 victory over the New Orleans Saints. On October 16, 2016, Collins racked up a season-high nine solo tackles, an assisted tackle, and sacked Joe Flacco in a 27–23 win over the Baltimore Ravens. The following week the New York Giants played the Los Angeles Rams at Twickenham Stadium in London, and he made eight solo tackles and a season-high two interceptions off of Case Keenum, returning one for a 44-yard touchdown. He was named Week 7's National Football Conference Defensive Player of the Week.
On November 6, 2016, Collins recorded a season-high 12 combined tackles, a pass deflection, a sack, and intercepted Carson Wentz during the Giant's 28–23 win over the Philadelphia Eagles. He was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Week for the second consecutive game and was the first safety to accomplish that feat since Troy Polamalu. The following week, he recorded five solo tackles and intercepted Andy Dalton in the fourth quarter of a 21–20 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. During a Week 11 matchup with the Chicago Bears, Collins made six solo tackles, three pass deflections, and intercepted Jay Cutler with 1:11 left on the clock to seal the 22–16 victory. This was Collins fourth consecutive game with an interception. Collins earned NFC Defensive Player of the Month for November, registering 30 combined tackles, a sack, and three interceptions.
On December 20, 2016, Collins was named to the 2017 Pro Bowl. He finished his first season under new head coach Ben McAdoo with 125 combined tackles, four sacks, 13 pass deflections, five interceptions, and a touchdown in 16 starts. Collins ended the season as the only player in NFL history to have over 100 solo tackles, more than two sacks, at least five interceptions, and with a minimum 12 pass deflections. He was also named first-team All-Pro. After the season, Collins was named NFC Defensive player of the Year by the Kansas City Committee of 101. He was also ranked 28th by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2017.