La'el Collins and the Colts: What if he's cleared?

If La'el Collins is cleared of any association with the murder case for which he was questioned Monday, there figures to substantial interest in the former LSU offensive tackle.

With the draft complete and Collins now forced to enter the league as an undrafted free agent, would the Indianapolis Colts have interest if the once projected first-round choice gets a clean slate from investigators?

The answer isn't no. But you shouldn't expect the Colts to be first in line, either.

A team source indicated the club has only lukewarm interest in Collins, who met with Baton Rouge, La., police Monday to answer questions about the death of 29-year-old Brittany Mills.

Police released a statement saying Collins fully cooperated with investigators and is "still not considered a suspect." But that likely won't be enough to remove any doubt about potential involvement for NFL teams, who continue to be cautious. The investigation remains open, meaning new information could still surface.

But where the Colts are concerned, even a stronger statement of exoneration from police might not be enough.

Team officials are obviously leery based on recent developments with the case. But it appears there was hesitation about Collins within the organization even before the case. The source did not detail the reasons for that.

It was previously reported that Collins intended to sit out a year and enter the 2016 draft if not selected in the early rounds this year. But NFL rules reportedly won't allow that because he was not chosen. He is eligible to sign a rookie free-agent contract, but rookie contract limitations will consign him to salaries near the NFL minimum.

The Colts did not make much effort to address their offensive line during the draft, waiting until the seventh round to draft offensive tackle Denzelle Goode of Mars Hills University. Goode was the only offensive lineman drafted by the Colts.

There remains some doubt about the health of starting right tackle Gosder Cherilus, but team officials maintain they have enough depth to fill potential holes.

"We feel comfortable that we have enough options to work with," general manager Ryan Grigson said. "We have (offseason workouts), and then we can see them out on the grass and figure it out from there. We feel confident in what we have."

Follow Star reporter Stephen Holder on Twitter: @HolderStephen.