An image of Tulsa linebacker Zaven Collins is displayed on stage after he was chosen by the Arizona Cardinals with the 16 pick in the first round of the NFL football draft Thursday April 29, 2021, in Cleveland.
FILE – Tulsa linebacker Zaven Collins claps after completing the bench press during NFL football pro day in Tulsa, Okla., in this Friday, April 2, 2021, file photo. Collins is a possible first round pick in the NFL Draft, April 29-May 1, 2021, in Cleveland.
Tulsa linebacker Zaven Collins reaches for a pass during NFL football pro day Friday, April 2, 2021, in Tulsa, Okla.
FILE – In this Oct. 23, 2020, file photo, Tulsa linebacker Zaven Collins (23) runs back an interception for a touchdown against South Florida during an NCAA football game in Tampa, Fla. Collins has gone from having college coaches telling him he’s not good enough for a Division I scholarship to having every NFL team show up at his Pro Day.
Tulsa linebacker Zaven Collins participates in an agility drill at NFL football pro day Friday, April 2, 2021, in Tulsa, Okla.
The Arizona Cardinals added a linebacker in the first round of the NFL draft for a second straight season, grabbing Tulsa’s Zaven Collins with the No. 16 overall pick Thursday night.
The Nagruski and Bednarik Award winner wasn’t even sure he’d be drafted heading into the 2020 season, but he put up big numbers with 53 tackles, 11 1/2 tackles for a loss, four sacks, four interceptions, two pass breakups and a blocked kick in eight starts. He was a first team AP All-American and also the AAC Player of the Year.
It continues a remarkable rise for Collins, who didn’t receive much Division I interest from college coaches while playing in high school in the small town of Hominy, Oklahoma. But he blossomed into a star down the road at Tulsa and at 6-foot-5 and 259 pounds brings ample size and athleticism to the position.
He returned two of his interceptions for touchdowns last year, including a 96-yarder in overtime to beat Tulane.
Arizona’s biggest need heading into the draft appeared to be in the secondary, particularly at cornerback. Longtime Cardinals star Patrick Peterson signed with the Minnesota Vikings in the offseason, leaving a sizable hole at the position.
But the draft’s elite cornerbacks were gone early when Jaycee Horn went to the Panthers at No. 8 and Patrick Surtain went to the Broncos one selection later. So the Cardinals went with another linebacker and Collins will join fellow linebacker Isaiah Simmons, whom the Cardinals selected with the No. 8 overall pick out of Clemson last year.
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