Always looking for the next undrafted free agent steal, the Vikings might have found one with former TCU offensive lineman Aviante Collins.
NFL.com projected Collins as a fifth- or- sixth-round pick, and as recent as April 20 ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. had Collins going in the third round. But the TCU tackle fell out of the draft before he signed with the Vikings as an undrafted free agent.
At 6-foot-4, 295 pounds, Collins caught fire when he ran a 4.81-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine. It was the third fastest 40 time for an offensive lineman since 2003.
The speed is in his genes. His father, Bill Collins, is considered the fastest old man on the planet. Seriously, he owns five Masters World Records and is still leaving opponents in the dust despite a nerve problem that nearly paralyzed him in 2011.
On Mel Kiper's Best Available? OT Aviante Collins TCU (Willowridge) son of Bill Collins, 67, fastest man for his age on planet #khou11
— Jason Bristol (@JBristolKHOU) April 29, 2017
The younger Collins, whose brother also ran track at TCU, isn’t without flaws on the football field. CBS Sports says he “needs to work on his posture, technique and discipline issues to see significant snaps in the NFL.”
What better place to do that than for a team that had (arguably) the worst offensive line in the league last season?
TCU head coach Gary Patterson recently told the Star-Telegram that Collins will likely play guard or center in the NFL.
“When you have a guy that size who can run like he does, he gives himself an opportunity maybe on special teams, maybe a center, a guard,” said Patterson.
