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It seems safe to assume the Philadelphia Eagles will not be signing undrafted free agent offensive lineman La'el Collins. It's true that the team showed some interest in him at one point. The Birds hosted Collins on one of the team's 30 allowed pre-draft visits.
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But when it came to the NFL Draft itself, the Eagles passed on him multiple times. And so did all of the 31 other teams in the league. In a post-draft press conference, Chip Kelly said Collins wasn't on the Eagles' board at all. Kelly explained why:
"It wasn't a hard decision, no. No, it was just ‑‑ really, I don't think we should be talking about draft picks. I think two people have lost their lives, and I think that's a little bit more important than that. We weren't really thinking about the draft at that point in time with him."
If you haven't been following the story, Collins is facing a strange situation. He was largely considered to be a first round talent heading into this year's draft -- he was even invited to attend the event live in Chicago -- but complications arose early last week.
Collins, though not a suspect, has been wanted for police questioning due to the death of a 29-year-old pregnant woman who was believed to have a relationship with him at one time. Collins reportedly met with police on Monday.
"Former LSU offensive lineman La'el Collins met with Baton Rouge police homicide detectives for more than an hour Monday at Louisiana State Police headquarters as part of a murder investigation in which Collins' former girlfriend was killed. Collins did not speak as he left the building accompanied by his attorney, Jim Boren, who also declined to comment about specifics. Collins is not a suspect in the case but has been wanted for questioning for more than a week."
If/when Collins is cleared, it's no surprise that nearly the entire league will be interested in signing him. Where Collins chooses to sign won't be motivated by money due his undrafted free agent status; his potential rookie contract is capped. Collins will get to pick his team of choosing based on other factors. One of those could be opportunity for playing time. The Eagles could certainly use some help on the offensive line.
While the Eagles do have a need, Kelly's comments about Collins seem to suggest the team might not be interested. Things can change, but for now it shouldn't be expected that he will end up in Philadelphia.