Jamie Collins, OLB

03/14/2013 - 2013 Southern Miss Pro Day: Representatives from 10 NFL teams gathered at Southern Mississippi's pro day on Friday, where 16 Golden Eagles players worked out. Due to a tornado that ripped through Hattiesburg in February the workout was held at Petal High School.

Jamie Collins, LB (6-foot-3 5/8, 250 pounds) - Collins stood on his numbers from the NFL Scouting Combine (he was a top performer in his position group in five events). Collins' official 40-yard dash time (4.64 seconds) in Indianapolis is especially notable. Collins worked out as both a linebacker and defensive lineman with his hand in the dirt. He'll have a lot of intrigued teams visit for a private workout. - Gil Brandt, NFL.com

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Collins was a two-way player at Franklin County High School in McCall Creek, Miss., and was rated as a three-star prospect by Rivals.com. A good athlete, he was ranked the No. 12 combo passer in the nation by MaxPrep.com and was selected to play in the Mississippi-Alabama all-star game after winning a state title.

He saw action in all 13 games as a freshman defensive back at Ole Miss in 2009, recording 48 tackles, three tackle for loss and a pair of sacks.

Collins made the move to linebacker the following season. He earned honorable mentioned All-CUSA honors while starting six of the final seven games and finishing the season with 71 tackles while appearing in all 12 games.

Collins made his second move in as many years as a junior, sliding to the "Bandit" end position in the Rebels' 4-2-5 scheme. He racked up team highs with 98 tackles and 19.5 tackles for loss, and was second on the team with 6.5 sacks.

Ole Miss suffered through a miserable winless season in 2012, but Collins continued to shine despite the lack of talent around him. He was voted to the All-Conference USA team after piling up 20 tackles for loss and 10 sacks - third in C-USA - to go along with 91 tackles total - which was 26 more than any other Rebel.

Collins' senior performance earned him a coveted invite to the Senior Bowl.

STRENGTHS: Muscular, athletic-looking frame with powerful hands and long arms. Accelerates well in a straight line, and exhibits good flexibility, both coming off the edge as a rusher, as well as when changing direction in space. Displays a knack for getting to the quarterback off the edge, with impressive natural power on contact, and ability to disengage when he uses his hands effectively. Flashes a strong, sudden closing burst in space. Appears natural and comfortable in his lower half when asked to drop into zone coverage. When he gets his arms extended at the point of attack, can really manhandle his blocker. Doesn't possess a ton of short-area burst when breaking down to make tackles in space, but uses length nicely to compensate.

WEAKNESSES: Motor appears to waffle at times. Explosiveness and fluidity appear to be there for brief moments, but other times he looks heavy-footed and sloppy in space. First step isn't elite. Is much more athletic than instinctive at this point. Isn't a high-intensity, fly-to-the-football defender, despite possessing some dynamic physical tools that indicate he's capable of covering more ground. Tends to tackle with his shoulder too frequently rather than wrapping up, and will take on blockers with his chest or shoulders far too often. Will reduce speed and exhibits loose legs when flipping his hips from a backpedal in man-coverage. Awareness in zone coverage waivers, as he tends to freeze in space and lose track of what's going on behind him.

COMPARES TO: K.J. Wright, OLB, Seattle Seahawks - Like Wright, Collins possesses a unique combination of speed, fluidity and flexibility for his size. However, when Wright came out of Mississippi State, he displayed better all-around instincts and motor than what we've seen out of Collins, who is probably the more gifted athlete. Right now, Collins looks like a developmental project with starting-caliber potential if the fundamentals and instincts can improve.

--Derek Stephens