SI All-American Candidate Damir Collins Highlights and Evaluation
Prospect: Damir Collins
Status: SI All-American Candidate
Vitals: 5-foot-9, 185 pounds
Position: Running Back
School: Portland (Ore.) Jefferson
Committed to: Oregon State
Projected Position: Running Back
Frame: Compact frame with a thick chest and solid definition in arms. Thick thighs and bubble with tight calves.
Athleticism: Darter-type runner. Good quickness to and through alleys after declaring. Has the lateral quickness to pick and slide. Has good contact balance, and traditional balance in the open field. Can execute 1-cut concepts, though can break down 2nd and 3rd level tacklers in his linear track. Also is indeed capable of stringing multiple cuts together in a second run.
Instincts: Has solid patient in his approach behind the line. Good mental processing, instincts, and peripheral vision to locate alleys. Eyes stay in sync with his lower half. Decelerates to set up leads on wings and makes the proper cut. Creative in tight space and trusts his speed to reverse field.
Polish: Plays from the pistol, pistol-lead, shotgun, wildcat QB and slot. Also used as jet-sweeper. Contributes some in the screen game, though the traditional route tree is limited for the passing game. He is undersized and could have issues escaping clutches inside on the college level. Also must show he can hold up adequately in pass-protection and blitz-pickup. Needs to carry the ball in proper arm consistently.
Bottom Line: Collins has the look of a COP/lightning back, though he has a deceptive contact balance for a smaller runner. He possesses good quickness and speed to threaten, to go along with vision and quick mental processing. Collins should fit well in an offense that features zone-blocking concepts in its running game from various formations and alignments.