Robert Saleh didn’t sound like a coach trying to temper expectations when he talked about Alfred Collins. He sounded like someone who thinks the 49ers may have landed something much bigger than a typical second-round pick.
Speaking to NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco from South Lake Tahoe at the American Century Championship golf tournament, the Tennessee Titans head coach looked back on his second stint as San Francisco’s defensive coordinator and singled out the rookie defensive tackle as one of the biggest revelations.
“I know he was a second-round pick and all, but he's still probably the biggest surprise to me in terms of just how much better he got from training camp, and as the season went on,” Saleh said of Collins. “I really think he's going to be special.
His mindset to get better, his work ethic, he's only going to get better. And when it triggers for him, he's going to be a bear to stop.”
That’s a strong endorsement for a player who had a rocky first year. Collins, the second-round defensive tackle out of Texas, dealt with a contractual standoff that stretched across nearly every Round 2 pick in the league and kept him from getting on the field in time for the start of training camp. That missed time showed early once the regular season began.
He still flashed at times, but the overall body of work wasn’t pretty. Collins finished his rookie season with a 42.2 overall grade from Pro Football Focus, which placed him 123rd out of 134 qualifying defensive tackles.
Saleh, though, clearly isn’t focused on the grade.
The 49ers may also have set Collins up for a smoother second season by trading for former Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa. That move should take some of the heat off Collins and give him more one-on-one chances inside.
And this time around, San Francisco won’t have the same training-camp issue hanging over him. There are no contractual holdups this offseason.
Both Collins and the 49ers are hoping Saleh’s read turns out right. If it does, the investment they made a year ago could start looking a lot better, with Collins becoming a major piece of the defensive front Saleh helped build.
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