Garafolo: La'el Collins will enter '16 NFL Draft if not drafted in Day 2
The uncertainty surrounding former LSU offensive tackle La'el Collins took an interesting turn on Friday.
If Collins isn't selected in the second or third rounds on Friday, he plans to not sign a contract with a team and will re-enter the 2016 NFL Draft, Collins' reps told FOX Sports 1's NFL insider Mike Garafolo.
Collins could only enter next year's draft if someone picks him and he doesn't sign. Should he not be selected, Collins would become a free agent.
Despite being a projected top-10 pick, Collins was not selected in the first round as police want to question him as part of the investigation into his ex-girlfriend's killing. According to reports, Collins is not considered a suspect.
Collins made a request to be withdrawn from this week's draft and placed in a supplemental draft later this year, but it was swiftly rejected by the NFL.
Because there is no precedent or a specific procedure for an eligible player to remove himself from consideration for selection in the traditional college draft, the NFL would need to reach agreement with its players union to amend the collective bargaining agreement and allow Collins to enter the supplemental draft. That motion also would require approval from the NFL Management Council’s executive committee.
The NFL couldn't accommodate Collins' request because it came so late, with investigations by the league and Baton Rouge police still incomplete.
Collins' former girlfriend, Brittney Mills, was killed Friday. She was pregnant, and authorities say her unborn child was removed and is expected to survive, the Baton Rouge Advocate reports.
Collins has left Chicago, the site of the draft, and returned to Louisiana. He has yet to speak with police, who are continuing the investigation. The goal in trying to move him from this weekend's draft to a supplemental draft was to give him time to clear his name.
The 6-foot-5, 322-pound Collins was a second-team Associated Press All-American.
FOX Sports 1's NFL insider Alex Marvez and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
