Nico Collins is a wide receiver for the Houston Texans. While playing at Clay-Chalkville High School as a junior, Collins reeled in 60 passes for 1,103 yards and 16 touchdowns. He caught 43 balls for 865 yards and nine touchdowns in his final season, earning him four stars as a recruit. Nico Collins chose Michigan over Alabama and Georgia to get playing time earlier in his collegiate career. Doing so, he was able to break out at age 19.5, earning 48 targets and corralling 38 for 632 yards and six touchdowns in his sophomore season. Collins hauled in 37 receptions for 729 yards and seven touchdowns the following year before opting out of the 2020 season due to covid. He was set up to see a significant increase in his college stats if he played.
At 6’4, 215, Collins was able to run a 4.5 40—earning him a 109.2 Speed Score. His 126.3 Burst Score and 11.11 Agility Score raised Collin’s profile enough for the Texans to trade up and selected him 25th in the third round. Due to the Texans barren depth chart, he earned snaps early. While Collins was healthy, he never saw less than a 50-percent snap share. However, the routes run rarely translated to production. A 3.74 target quality rating deeply hindered his 54.1-percent catch rate, but Collins also struggled to catch contested targets and come down with balls in the red zone. His best finish on the season was WR34.
Collins is a player who doesn’t create a lot of separation and struggles running precise routes. Similar to Gabriel Davis as a rookie, he failed to capitalize when given opportunities. Nico would stay a key cog in the 2022 Texans offense, but unfortunately for Nico, the offense was completely dreadful. However, with a new coaching staff in town, a new quarterback in C.J. Stroud, and Brandin Cooks is now in Dallas, this is the time for Nico to prove that he can be a key contributor on a competent offense.
