That, despite his moniker coming out of school that he was an "in the box" playmaker, that he needed some time to develop his pass coverage skills. That rumor spread like wildfire among teams come draft time, likely the reason he didn't go in the opening round, where Mel Kiper insisted the Eagles would pick him at No. 20.
"It bothers me, because I know I'm not a box safety," Collins told Monday Morning Quarterback. "I can play in the box, but I'm not a box safety. When I started hearing that, I told the teams, 'You can look at the film. I'm not a box safety.'"
Count defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo as someone who believed him.
"I know people were tagging him as that box safety," he said. "I didn't see that. I really didn't. Sometimes people just want to put guys in categories. I don't really want to do that right now."
In the box or out, Collins will likely face Dez Bryant or Jason Witten in Week 1 when the Cowboys and Giants face off, so he'll get an early lesson in humility. He's the biggest name in that secondary right now, and the Giants need something to improve on their 29th ranked defense that doomed their campaign last time out. Collins, in that confidence known only to rookies, says he's the man for the job.
"I'm about to showcase why I'm not a box safety, and why I should have been in the first round," he said. "The Giants know they got the best safety that came out in the draft."
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