For an instant in his team's 34-22 victory over the New Orleans Saints to begin preseason play, New England Patriots outside linebacker Jamie Collins channeled his inner version of tight end Rob Gronkowski.

Collins enjoys spectacular preseason debut

After Saints quarterback Garrett Grayson witnessed the first pass of his 2016 preseason debut glance directly off of the outstretched hand of wide receiver Brandon Coleman, Collins saw his opportunity to turn into the receiving option he had always dreamed of becoming. He corraled the ricochet of the pass at the NO 43-yard line and scampered towards the sideline, leaving New Orleans guard Senio Kelemete in the dust before stiff arming Grayson on his way to the end zone.

The thrilling pick-six was not the only highlight that Collins enjoyed on the evening. He garnered three tackles as well, a pair of which came solo. On one occasion, Collins stifled New Orleans starting running back Mark Ingram directly at the line of scrimmage, meeting the powerhouse back and shoving him backwards for no gain.

If Collins' showing at Gillette Stadium on Thursday night was any indication, the new and improved 6'3", 250-pounder is primed to return to the Pro Bowl for the second consecutive year. Following a breakout season in which he recorded 89 tackles, 5.5 sacks, six passes defensed, five stuffs, and a memorable blocked extra-point in just 12 games, the fourth-year man has returned to Patriots training camp appearing healthier and in better shape than ever before.

With fellow outside linebacker Rob Ninkovich shelved for the next 4-6 weeks following the tearing of his triceps muscle, Collins will have a heightened ability to step up and assert his leadership within New England's front seven over the course of opening few regular season games. Judging by his approach throughout camp, the Southern Mississippi product is prepared to elevate himself into the discussion for Defensive Player of the Year.

Collins making a name for himself in pass coverage

Collins has prove himself as a formidable force to be reckoned with over the opening few weeks of training camp, swatting a plethora of passes from quarterbacks Tom Brady and Jimmy Garoppolo while swallowing up Patriots running backs for multiple tackles for loss. His presence was certainly felt during New England's joint practices with the Saints earlier in the week at Gillette Stadium, as New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees made the concerted effort to avoid throwing in his direction at all costs. Concerned with Collins' unparalleled ability to knock down passes and even get his mitts around an errant throw, Brees and other quarterbacks league-wide will be shifting their eyes elsewhere when witnessing him drop back into coverage.

This underlines Collins' value for covering tight ends, as he could potentially neutralize the likes of the Cincinnati Bengals' Tyler Eifert or the Seattle Seahawks' Jimmy Graham over the course of the season. Few linebackers in the NFL possess the combination of speed and length that Collins stakes the claim to, as he is similar to an NBA forward playing the outside linebacker position.

With the 26-year-old entering the final season of his rookie contract, expect him to burst onto the scene as one of the league's premier outside linebackers this season barring injury.