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FLOWERY BRANCH -- Falcons second-round pick Jalen Collins, who had foot surgery in March, was held out of minicamp practice on Friday.
"That was a medical decision," Falcons coach Dan Quinn said. "Just want for him to get his foot totally healthy. I think that’s the best for us moving forward. We have a lot of opportunities to work with him and we didn’t want to rush it."
Collins is close to returning and could take part in some of the OTA sessions later this month or in June.
"It’s almost day by day," Quinn said. "It’s getting that close. We anticipate him being available at least for a good part of the offseason."
Collins is expected to contend for one of the starting cornerback positions.
Medical officials discovered an incomplete Jones fracture in Collins’ right foot at the NFL combine in February, and he had it surgically repaired after running the 40-yard dash in 4.48 seconds at the combine. He expected to
Credit: D. Orlando Ledbetter
Credit: D. Orlando Ledbetter
participate in the Falcons’ rookie minicamp.
After being drafted by the Falcons, Collins said his foot was 100 percent.
“We got it fixed, and it’s been going great, healing,” Collins said. “I’m at a 100 percent right now, ready to roll.”
After practice, Falcons coach Dan Quinn will give an update on why Collins was held out of the workout.
At 6-feet-1 1/2 and 203 pounds, Collins has safety size —such as what Quinn embraced as the Seattle Seahawks’ defensive coordinator, with corners such as Richard Sherman (6-3, 195), Brandon Browner (6-4, 221) and Cary Williams (6-1, 190).
Collins is the biggest corner on the Falcons roster which includes Desmond Trufant (6-0, 190), Robert Alford (5-10, 186), Phillip Adams (5-11, 195) and Ricardo Allen (5-9, 186).
In three seasons at LSU (after taking a redshirt in 2011 as a freshman), Collins started 10 of 39 games in a talented secondary, and was noted more for his physicality than his ball skills.
As a senior, he rang up 38 combined tackles and assists, broke up a team-high nine passes and had one interception while starting seven times and playing in all 13 games.
NFL Media’s Mike Mayock ranked Collins the No. 2 corner in the draft while some other analysts ranked him lower, all the way down to No. 6.
Before the draft reports surfaced that Collins failed several drug tests while in college. He acknowledged three such mistakes.
[cmg_cinesport url=http://cinesport.ajc.com/embed/ajc-atlanta-sports/d-led-regrets-falcons-draft/]
The AJC’s D. Orlando Ledbetter and CineSport’s Noah Coslov get into the Falcons regrets and surprises from the NFL Draft. Plus, they talk about the ceiling for LB Vic Beasley.
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