La’el Collins is trying to focus on football again.
The former LSU offensive lineman and projected first-round draft pick has been through a whirlwind this past week after being questioned by Baton Rouge, La., police in the death of a 29-year-old woman and her unborn child. Police confirmed to The Advocate that Collins had a relationship with the woman — they would not elaborate the extent of it — but stressed he is not a suspect in her shooting.
Collins was passed over in last week’s NFL draft, but now that police say he “fully cooperated with investigators and is still not considered a suspect,” per The Advocate, Collins is on the radar of “almost every” NFL team.
WWL-TV’s Doug Mouton reported Monday that Collins was spotted at a Baton Rouge restaurant with Buffalo Bills coach Rex Ryan. And a source close to Collins told The Advocate that he’d be meeting with officials from the Miami Dolphins on Tuesday morning.
As long as police remain insistent on Collins’ innocence, the Bills and Dolphins certainly won’t be the only teams with whom the 21-year-old meets. Collins was expected to be selected in the mid- to late first round, with some analysts even placing him in the top 10.
Thumbnail photo via Nelson Chenault/USA TODAY Sports Images
