What draft pick was Nico Collins?

The Houston Texans return to relevance has been one of the big surprises of the 2023 NFL season. Having gone 3-13-1 in 2022, the franchise was expected to top out at 6 wins by various oddsmakers. However, led by star quarterback C.J. Stroud and new head coach DeMeco Ryans, the Texans surged to a 10-7 record, winning the AFC South Division and punching their ticket to the playoffs.

It's in the Houston Texans' 45-14 whipping of the Cleveland Browns in the wildcard round, that another underrated playmaker came to the fore: Nico Collins. For all of Stroud’s talent, he still needed talented pass catchers to throw to. Collins answered that call throughout 2023 and how: Collins went for 96 yards gained on 6 receptions and delivered 1 TD.

Over the course of the season, when not injured, he was one half of a terrific WR duet with rookie WR Tank Dell. However, after Dell suffered a terrible injury midseason, Collins has carried the burden of leading the Texans' offense and being WR1 for the team and QB Stroud’s primary target.

Throughout the 2023 season, Collins caught 80 receptions and racked up 1297 receiving yards, along with 8 touchdowns, in what was a breakout campaign that allowed him to fully shake off the bust labels and put up career-high numbers that were higher than his production from the past 2 seasons combined.

Prior to getting drafted into the NFL, Collins played for the University of Michigan Wolverines for 3 seasons under the tutelage of famous coach Jim Harbaugh. Collins was the starting WR in 2018 & 2019, before opting out of the 2020 season due to Covid restrictions and to prepare for the draft. In those 2 seasons, Collins went for 1361 receiving yards on 75 receptions, catching 13 TDs. Collins declared for the 2021 NFL Draft.

Nico Collins Draft

Collins was selected 89th overall by the Houston Texans in the 3rd round of the 2021 NFL Draft. The Texans traded up from pick 109 to pick 89, sending a 2022 4th-round pick to the Carolina Panthers, to draft Collins. He was the 14th wide receiver taken off the board.

Houston was highly intrigued by Collins' potential as a wideout receiver in their offense.

Collins had set a 4.45 40-yard dash time, which when combined with a big frame meant that he had the ideal body type and skill set to win contested catches on the outside i.e. near. the perimeters or along the sidelines.

Collins specializes in using his size, strong hands, body control, and leaping ability to come down with 50/50 balls.

Nico Collins Height & Weight

Standing at 6-foot-4 and weighing 215 pounds, Collins is the ideal size for an outside receiver in the NFL. Very few cornerbacks can match up to his rare combination of height, length, leaping ability, and straight-line speed.

At 6'4", Collins presents a massive catch radius for his quarterback and a nightmare matchup for opponents, especially in contested situations along the sideline and in the red zone. His height, long 34-inch arms, 37.5-inch vertical jump, and strong hands make Collins an explosive aerial threat.

Additionally, Collins weighs in at a muscular 215 pounds. This gives him enough bulk, play strength, and force at the line of scrimmage. Collins uses his 215-pound frame to overpower press coverage and box out smaller defensive backs.

Overall, Collins' exceptional blend of size and athletic traits provided him with elite potential as a premier wideout talent, which wasn't exploited before the 2023 NFL season due to the subpar QBs under center for the Texans and injury issues.

With a talented CJ Stroud and his big arm under center, Collins has broken out as a legit WR1 for the Houston Texans in 2023, and a player to watch out for in the coming seasons. In only his third season, he's already racked 5 games of 100+ receiving yards, of which 3 games nearly saw him crack the 200 receiving yard total.