The NFL typically reserves the rookie symposium for players who were actually drafted.
But since Cowboys offensive lineman La’el Collins is kind of an exception anyway, they let him in.
Collins told Gil Brandt and Alex Marvez on SiriusXM NFL Radio that he was grateful to be included in the program.
“My agent and [the Cowboys’] PR guys did a great job of communicating with the league and giving me the opportunity to be here,” Collins said. “They accepted me with open arms. I’m excited to be here. It’s been a great experience.”
Collins would have certainly been a first-rounder if his name hadn’t come up in a murder investigation of a former girlfriend in Baton Rouge, La. But even though he’s never been listed as a suspect, no team was willing to take the potential P.R. hit to use a draft pick on him. Assuming there’s nothing untoward, the Cowboys could benefit, getting a top talent at reduced rates.
And now Collins gets to hear the same message he’d have likely heard anyway, without the incident just before the draft.
“A lot of things about choices — the choices you make and dealing with the consequences — are the biggest things,” Collins said of the symposium. “We all make choices in life. Whether they’re good or bad, you have to be ready for the consequences.”
“You could tell he’s soaking it all in,” Cowboys first-rounder Byron Jones said of his teammate. “We have a chance to ask questions or talk, he’s the first one to raise his hand. It’s awesome to see him here so he has the opportunity to absorb what we have.”
Of course, all rookies, drafted or otherwise, would certainly benefit from the program. But the league’s not going to buy enough hotel rooms for all the undrafteds to show up, which is why one of the top players like Collins had to get special permission.