John Schneider likes to surprise with first picks. L.J. Collier, at #29, was no exception in the 2019 NFL Draft. Early in the draft process, most draftniks had Collier as a mid-round, value pick. But, after an excellent Senior Bowl showing and more tape viewing, Collier soon was getting 2nd round talk.
After the defensive line-heavy first round, Schneider didn’t want to be left off the ledge and he took the Seattle Seahawks’ next 5 technique, as Pete Carroll described: “[Collier’s] gonna play 5 technique for us.