Film room: How Alfred Collins can boost Raiders’ run defense

Diving into what the Texas defensive tackle could bring to Las Vegas

The Las Vegas Raiders could use some help at nose tackle heading into the 2025 NFL Draft as the club didn’t re-sign John Jenkins, the Raiders’ starter over the last two seasons, during free agency. That should put Texas defensive tackle Alfred Collins on Las Vegas’ radar.

While Collins doesn’t have a ton of experience lining up at nose — recording 146 snaps in the A-gap versus 299 in the B-gap in Austin last season, according to Pro Football Focus — he has the size and skill set to make the subtle position switch in the NFL.

The nearly 6-foot-6 and 332-pound former Longhorn is a boulder as a run defender. He’s hard to move out of his gap, is stout against double teams and easily defeats one-on-one blocks. That helped him earn the third-best run defense grade (85.0) and third-most defensive stops (21) against the run among SEC defensive tackles, per PFF.

So, let’s dive into the Texas product’s tape and see what he could bring to Las Vegas.

Again, Collins is more of a projection at nose tackle after primarily lining up as a 4i-technique as he does in the clip above. However, his ability to hold his ground against double teams and combo blocks is the biggest reason why switching positions should be a seamless transition.

Collins is on the front side of Michigan’s counter run where the right tackle and tight end combo block him before the tackle works up to the second level. Meanwhile, Collins does a great job of attacking the man he’s lined up across from, using good pad level and hand placement to win at the point of attack.

Then, the Texas product feels the tight end coming and turns his body into the pressure, preventing the tight end from getting a clean block. That results in some penetration from Collins, which forces the running back to bounce outside. Since the right tackle couldn’t get a clean release up to the second level, that linebacker is free to make the tackle.

This is a good example of Collins making the play without actually making the play. He plugged up the C-gap while disrupting the right tackle’s block to make his teammate’s job easier.

Here, we’ll get a good look at what the former Longhorn can do at nose. He’s playing a traditional technique for the position where he’s 2-gapping, meaning he’s responsible for both A-gaps. Also, he’s taking on a combo block from the left guard and center.

At the point of attack, Collins once again does a good job of focusing on beating the man he’s lined up across from while using his strength and leverage to gain control of the block. Combined with using a wide base, that allows him to absorb contact from the guard and fulfill his assignment.

With the running back lined up on the defense’s right, Collins initially shows color in the left A-gap since most running plays will have the running back cross the center in the backfield. So, the back sees the playside rushing lane is plugged and cuts backside. However, since the defensive tackle won at the point of attack against the center, he can cross the center’s face to fulfill his other assignment before making the tackle in the backside B-gap.

After a rep like this, it’s easy to see why Collins can line up at nose in the NFL.

Part of what stands out about the Texas product’s tape is that he’s dominant against one-on-one blocks.

Georgia runs split-zone toward Collins in the play above, but the right guard doesn’t give the right tackle nearly enough help before working up to the second level. That puts the right tackle mano a mano with Collins and that matchup does not end well for the offense.

Again, the defensive tackle has great leverage, hand placement and strength to gain control of the block. So, when the running back commits downhill, he easily sheds the right tackle and with enough violence that the tackle ends up face-first on the ground. Finally, Collins finishes the rep by bringing down the running back right at the line of scrimmage.

We’ll see a similar rep here, the Bulldogs just run inside zone without the split zone action in the backfield and Collins is on the backside of the play. That means he’s taking on a one-on-one block from the right guard and while the block destruction isn’t as dominant, it’s just as effective.

Collins keeps his pads down and hands tight again, which allows him to reset the line of scrimmage and escape the guard’s block. This is a good example of how his nearly 35-inch arms help against the run, as he creates plenty of extension against the guard. That puts him in a perfect position to make the tackle for a short gain when the running back crashes downhill.

This time, Texas slants the defensive line to the weak side of Florida’s formation.

That puts Collins, who lines up as a 4i-technique, into the strong side A-gap where he takes on the center. He defeats the block with the same great technique mentioned several times above, showcasing his strength to get extension and knock the center backward. From there, it’s easy for the defender to escape and make the tackle at the line of scrimmage.

Part of what makes the former Longhorn such a disruptive run defender is he forces offenses to use two offensive linemen to block him as he’ll defeat one-on-one blocks all day. And, as we’ve seen above, sometimes the double teams and combo blocks don’t even work.

Against the passing game, Collins isn’t much of a factor as a rusher with only 18 pressures on 305 pass rush snaps last season, per PFF. But he is good at getting his hands up and batting passes at the line of scrimmage. PFF had him with six batted passes last season, which were tied for the second-most among FBS defensive tackles.

In the clip above, Texas runs a four-man pressure where the left outside linebacker drops in coverage while one of the off-ball linebackers blitzes. Additionally, they call a flush stunt where the defensive line slants to the wide side of the field and the blitzer loops around to the other side, trying to find a pass rush lane.

Collins does a solid job of working across the right guard’s face and wins the rep by taking the guard with him and getting some penetration. It’s not a clean win though, meaning the offensive lineman is still attached to him and the quarterback has enough time to throw.

So, the defensive tackle gets his hand up, batts the pass and gives his teammate an opportunity to come up with an interception. Granted, the edge rusher literally lets the ball slip through his hands…

According to NFL Mock Draft Database’s consensus big board as of April 14, Collins is currently projected to be a late-second- to early-third-round pick. If he’s still available at No. 68, don’t be surprised if the former Longhorn is the starting nose tackle in Las Vegas next season.