Arizona Cardinals: Zaven Collins is quietly removing the bust label

Arizona Cardinals inside linebacker Zaven Collins isn’t having a spectacular season, but he is slowly shedding the bust label. 

Zaven Collins played in all 17 games and started in just six in 2021, logging 25 combined tackles and one tackle for loss. It was an abysmal season from a player who was supposed to come in and start right away, and former Arizona Cardinals linebacker Jordan Hicks instead starred at the position.

Fast-forward to Week 5 of 2022, and Collins’ PFF Grade for the year sits at 53.6, ranking 58th out of 81 eligible inside linebackers. This is by no means a decent ranking, but it has climbed in recent weeks as Collins has become more productive this season.

Zaven Collins starting to show why the Arizona Cardinals drafted him so high

Through four games, Collins has 27 combined tackles, two for a loss, and a forced fumble. These are not Pro Bowl Games numbers, but they do show his productivity is trending north. While he still has ways to go, this small breakthrough can work wonders for the Arizona Cardinals if Collins’ stock continues to trend upward.

He is one of a few reasons the Cardinals rank 14th in yards per attempt allowed at 4.3, much better than they fared this time last season. So why the low PFF Grade? Collins has yet to evolve from a productive player to an impact player. He is stopping ball carriers, but with just two tackles behind the line, it shows his productivity still has room for growth.

Collins still has 13 games to improve, and given his steady upswing this season, he can make the jump from a player who will give you between seven and eight tackles per game when healthy to one that is a sure tackler.

His missed tackle percentage sits at 10.0%, which also means he isn’t quite where he needs to be. But if one thing is certain, Zaven Collins is a far cry from where he was just 365 days ago. Now if Isaiah Simmons can step up his game, the Cardinals may have a budding dynamic duo at inside linebacker.