National Football League

Landon Collins: I'm not just an in the box safety

Published May. 4, 2015 9:58 a.m. ET

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The New York Giants entered this past weekend's draft without the top three safeties on their depth chart from the 2014 season. Quintin Demps remains unsigned, Stevie Brown bolted for the Texans, and long-tenured defensive leader Antrel Rolle made his way to the Bears. It was safe to say that the Giants were bound to draft at least one safety.

When Alabama safety Landon Collins slid down the draft board and landed in the mix on day two of the draft, the Giants made the aggressive decision to trade three of their draft picks to move up and select him with the No. 33 overall pick. Collins' draft day slide was tied to the concern that he can only operate as an attacking "in the box" safety with limitations in pass coverage. Giants general manager Jerry Reese has since confirmed that the Giants don't see it that way.

"He played a lot of positions for them," Reese told reporters in New Jersey. "They asked him to do a lot at Alabama. We always like guys that have a lot of versatility like that, and he's played at a very high level of competition. He was very productive for them. We think he can play on the back end, and we think he can play in the box. We think he can play like a sub-linebacker, also as a special teams player."

After hearing from Collins himself, it doesn't sound like he needed anyone's support on this area of concern. He has heard the doubters and now he can't wait to prove them wrong.

"I played in the box at Alabama, but I was a safety," Collins said when he addressed the media on Saturday. "It was not an in the box safety. I played free, strong and played our money position, which was our fifth [defensive back] on the field. [I] was not just an in the box safety."

Collins also hinted that all of this chatter originated and emanated within the draft community, and not with the decision makers in different organizations.

"It was just the outside noise. Teams said I played a lot in the box, but once they saw me play this past year in the deep middle and then they had total confidence in me."

Just because Collins can play different spots at safety doesn't mean he is not at his best when attacking downhill. Over his final two seasons at Alabama, Collins had 173 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, and three forced fumbles. His aggressive style defines who he is as a player.

"That is how I play the game. That is my passion for the game to make sure I make plays on the ball and be around it and make sure I make the tackle and make sure they don’t score. That is just how I am. I always try to make plays and make physical plays as much as possible. You make a physical play you knock the ball out or cause a fumble or you knock the ball out of the receiver’s hands when they try to catch it. That is my type of game."

Collins will wear No. 26 for the Giants in honor of the late Sean Taylor who also wore 26. Collins won't be handed a starting job, but he will have the opportunity to compete for one. When asked about the potential to start in 2015, Collins was confident in the possibility and admitted that he couldn't have gotten to this point without his alma mater.

"Alabama prepared me for that. Being under Coach Saban, he doesn’t coach as freshmen, he coaches us as juniors and he puts a lot of responsibility on your shoulder as an 18 year old. I have the upmost respect for him because of that. Going through that process it helped a lot because it made me a man, the person, the player, and the leader that I am today and a smart player knowing the game. Definitely the school and coach Saban have helped me a long way with that.

The Giants could end up putting a lot on Collins' plate as a rookie, but that's not a bad thing for a player who feels he still has so much to prove.

(h/t Big Blue Interactive)

Photo Credit: Jason Getz/USA TODAY Sports