As the first round of the NFL draft stretched near midnight, it seemed more and more likely that one former can't-miss prospect wasn't going to hear his named called in the first 32 picks.

By the time the New England Patriots picked Texas defensive tackle Malcom Brown, the can't-miss prospect's name had only been called on social media -- as the guy no one took.

That would be Alabama safety Landon Collins, who at one point was viewed as a top-10 prospect by some analysts, but tumbled right out of the first day and into the realm of "What in the world happened?" And, "Who is Damarious Randall, and why was he picked before Landon?"

For two years, Collins was one of the SEC's best safeties/defenders. He was versatile enough to play in the box, trashing running games as much as possible, and drop back to be a true ballhawk in the defensive backfield. I've seen plenty of Landon Collins in my day, and most of the time I've been impressed, especially when he crept up to stoutly play the run. I saw that phenomenal game-saving interception at Arkansas last fall, where he had to watch 1,000 things at once before deciding to stay with his man and end the game. Collins was a like a heat-seeking missile at times on the field, and his athleticism more than made him a worthy foe for any quarterback he faced.

Last season, he led Alabama with 102 tackles and had 60 solo stops, so you know he isn't afraid to throw his body around. He also had 8.5 career tackles for loss, five interceptions and 18 passes defended.

But Collins wasn't perfect, and there were times where he got caught out of position in big games when passing games really got going. When you look at film and talk to people more familiar with Collins' week-to-week play, I get his fall in the draft. Out of the first round? Eh, didn't see that coming, but Collins' inability to consistently match up with receivers in the slot and penchant for getting lost on deep passes were red flags. He took some bad angles on throws and sometimes was tricked by opposing quarterbacks before the throw.

Just look at the Ohio State game last year and Oklahoma the year before.

He was inconsistent tracking throws, and if you're going to play safety in the NFL, you just can't have that problem. Sure, it's something you can work on, but do teams really want to take a chance on a guy in the first round?

With that said, Collins hasn't fallen off the face of he draft earth. He'll be fine when it comes to Day 2. Though he won't get first-round recognition or money, Collins will get drafted today -- and I predict early -- and he will be an absolute steal at this point. Remember, he was once considered the best safety prospect in the draft and was seen by some analysts as an early first-round pick. This was both before and after the season, so Collins didn't exactly turn into a slouch in that time.

There are concerns, but he's not even close to being a risk on Day 2.