Zaven Collins

Zaven Collins (born May 19, 1999) is an American professional football outside linebacker for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Tulsa Golden Hurricane, earning unanimous All-American honors and winning several defensive player of the year awards in 2020. Collins was selected by the Cardinals in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft.

Early life Collins was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on May 19, 1999, and later attended Hominy High School in Hominy, Oklahoma. He played quarterback, linebacker and safety in high school. During his career, he had 4,084 rushing yards with 54 touchdowns and passed for 3,056 yards and 32 touchdowns. He committed to the University of Tulsa to play college football.

College career After redshirting his first year at Tulsa in 2017, Collins played in 12 games and started 10 in 2018. He had 85 tackles, 1.5 sacks and one interception. As a sophomore in 2019, he started all 12 games, recording 97 tackles and two sacks. Collins returned to Tulsa in 2020, where he was awarded the Bronko Nagurski Trophy and Chuck Bednarik Award as the nation's best defensive player, as well as the Lombardi Award.

Professional career

Collins was selected by the Arizona Cardinals in the first round (16th overall) of the 2021 NFL draft. He signed his four-year rookie contract, worth $14 million, on June 8, 2021.

Collins entered his rookie season in 2021 as a starting inside linebacker alongside Jordan Hicks and Isaiah Simmons. He was relegated to a backup role midway through the season, playing the third-most snaps of the inside linebackers. He finished the season with 25 tackles and three passes defensed through 17 games and six starts.

In Week 9 of the 2022 season, Collins had a 30-yard interception returned for a touchdown against the Seattle Seahawks. In the 2022 season, he appeared in 16 games and finished with 100 total tackles (63 solo), one interception, six passes defended, and one forced fumble.

In the 2023 season, Collins finished with 3.5 sacks, 41 tackles, one interception, and three passes defended. On April 30, 2024, the Cardinals declined the fifth-year option on Collins' contract, making him a free agent after the 2024 season. On August 3, 2024, Collins and the Cardinals agreed to a two–year, $14 million contract extension. In the 2024 season, Collins finished with five sacks, 57 tackles, and one pass defended.

Career statistics

NFL Legend Bold Career high

Regular season Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL Sfty PD Int Yds Avg Lng TD FF FR Yds TD 2021 ARI 17 6 25 13 12 0.0 1 0 3 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2022 ARI 16 16 100 63 37 2.0 11 0 6 1 30 30.0 30 1 1 0 0 0 2023 ARI 17 17 41 27 14 3.5 6 0 3 1 1 1.0 1 0 0 1 0 0 2024 ARI 17 17 57 33 24 5.0 7 0 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 2 0 0 0 2025 ARI 17 9 40 26 14 1.5 6 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 2 3 1 Career 84 65 263 162 101 12.0 31 0 13 2 31 15.5 30 1 3 3 3 1

Postseason Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL Sfty PD Int Yds Avg Lng TD FF FR Yds TD 2021 ARI 1 1 2 1 1 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Career 1 1 2 1 1 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0

College Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles GP GS Total Solo Ast Sack PD Int Yds TD FF FR TD 2017 Tulsa 0 0 2018 Tulsa 12 10 85 42 43 1.5 3 1 0 0 1 1 0 2019 Tulsa 12 12 97 51 46 2.0 3 0 0 0 0 1 0 2020 Tulsa 8 8 53 35 18 4.0 2 4 152 2 1 1 0Career 32 30 235 128 107 7.5 8 5 152 2 2 3 0

Personal life Collins was arrested in Arizona for speeding and reckless driving in June 2021; he was released from custody within an hour.