La'el Collins gave 'great' thought to picking Lions

BEREA, Ohio -- The Detroit Lions took two offensive linemen and traded for a third during this year's NFL draft, and it turns out that they tried to add the year's most coveted undrafted rookie to their blocking haul, too.

Offensive tackle La'el Collins, who signed with the Dallas Cowboys after going unpicked in the draft, said at a Play60 event today at the NFL rookie symposium that Lions coach Jim Caldwell phoned him the day after the draft and that he gave "a lot" of consideration to signing with the Lions.

"I talked to coach Caldwell briefly, like, a day after the draft," Collins said. "First of all, he just wanted me to know he was here for me and that if I needed anything, I could talk to him or if I needed to talk to him, things like that.

"And honestly, I went on a visit to Detroit and I had a great talk with coach Caldwell while I was there, I had a great meeting with them. We connected in a big way. It was nothing but love and respect for him. I think he's a great coach; I think they're going to be a great team."

Collins, from LSU, was projected as a mid-first-round pick before his name surfaced as part of an investigation into the murder of his pregnant ex-girlfriend, Brittney Mills, days before the draft.

Louisiana police never officially cleared Collins in the case, but they deemed him not to be a suspect after paternity tests showed that he was not the father of Mills' baby.

Twenty-nine of the NFL's 32 teams reportedly contacted Collins or his agents after the draft to express interest in signing him, and within days, Collins signed a fully guaranteed three-year, $1.6-million contract with the Cowboys.

Collins said that the Lions, who've shied away from drafting and signing character risks in recent seasons, were "right there with every other team" that attempted to sign him.

"I gave every team great consideration and just ended up having to go where it was really best for me, at the end of the day," Collins said.

Collins is expected to play right tackle with the Cowboys and likely would have filled that position, perhaps as a day-one starter, in Detroit.

The Lions drafted Laken Tomlinson, whom they ranked higher on their draft board than Collins, to start at left guard in the first round, added veteran interior backup Manny Ramirez in a draft-day trade, and took developmental tackle Corey Robinson in the seventh round.

But starting right tackle LaAdrian Waddle is recovering from a partially torn ACL and might not be ready for the start of the season, and his backup, Cornelius Lucas, missed last week's minicamp with a minor injury.

Collins said he has enjoyed his time in Dallas so far and hasn't had second thoughts about his decision.

"For me, I just, at the end of the day just after looking at everything, going over everything, Dallas was just the best fit for me," he said.

Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.

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