When La'el Collins channeled his inner Larry Allen against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 8, it got us thinking about the most dominant linemen around.
Allen, an 11-time Pro Bowler, seven-time All-Pro and member of two different all-decade teams, was legendary for his pure power, strength and ability to simply crush defenders at the line or second level.
Collins had multiple blocks against Seattle that brought back memories of Allen. In the second quarter, he buried linebacker Bobby Wagner on a pull block before heading to the secondary and sending safety Earl Thomas into orbit with a second block. Late in the game, he drove nose tackle Brandon Mebane 10 yards off the line before launching him to the ground for a pancake.
Here are eight blockers who embody pure dominance.
La'el Collins, G, Dallas Cowboys
Let's start with the player emulating Allen. PFF has given out our highest grade possible for a guard just twice this season, and Collins has both of them. He leads all guards in "dominant blocks" recorded in our system, and perhaps more importantly for a rookie, he has been badly beaten only once in the run game.
This is a player who had first-round talent but fell out of the draft entirely thanks to legal issues that enveloped him like a tornado right around the draft. Dallas snapped him up as an undrafted free agent and may have one of the most dominant players from the entire draft at pennies on the dollar. The Seahawks have a defense full of dominant players, and Collins treated them like blocking sleds.