Nico Collins
refer to caption
Collins with Michigan in 2019
No. 12 – Houston Texans
Position:Wide receiver
Personal information
Born: (1999-03-19) March 19, 1999 (age 25)
Pinson, Alabama, U.S.
Height:6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:215 lb (98 kg)
Career information
High school:Clay-Chalkville (Birmingham, Alabama)
College:Michigan (2017–2020)
NFL draft:2021 / Round: 3 / Pick: 89
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career NFL statistics as of 2023
Receptions:150
Receiving yards:2,224
Receiving touchdowns:11
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Dominique Stephon Nicolas "Nico" Collins (born March 19, 1999) is an American football wide receiver for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at the University of Michigan and was drafted by the Texans in the third round of the 2021 NFL draft.

Early years

Collins was a wide receiver at Clay-Chalkville High School in Clay, Alabama. As a junior, he caught 60 passes for 1,103 yards for 16 touchdowns. This was followed by a senior year with 43 passes for 865 yards and 9 touchdowns.[1] In February 2017, Collins committed to play football at Michigan over Georgia and Alabama.[2][3]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight 40‡ Commit date
Nico Collins
WR 		Birmingham, Alabama Clay-Chalkville High School 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 197 lb (89 kg) 4.50 Feb 1, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 120  247Sports: 138  ESPN: 150
  • ‡ Refers to 40 yard dash
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height, weight and 40 time.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Michigan Football Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  • "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  • "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved January 4, 2020.

College career

On October 12, 2017, Collins made his first collegiate reception on a 12 yard pass against Rutgers University. As a freshman, he appeared in two games and had three receptions for 27 yards.[4] He had a breakout season in his sophomore year in 2018. He had four catches for a career-high 91 yards and two touchdowns against Ohio State.[5][6] He ended the season as the Most Improved Offensive Player with 38 receptions for 632 yards and six touchdowns.[7][8] On November 23, 2019, Collins had a career-best 165 receiving yards and three touchdowns against Indiana.[9] Despite playing along Donovan Peoples-Jones, Tarik Black and Ronnie Bell, Collins was second on the team in receiving yards in 2019, with 729 yards from 37 receptions and had seven touchdowns.[10][11]

College statistics

Team G Receiving
Rec Yds Avg TD
2017 2 3 27 9 0
2018 13 38 632 16.6 6
2019 12 37 729 19.7 7
2020 Opted-out due to the COVID-19 pandemic
Career 27 78 1,388 17.8 13

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 4+1⁄8 in
(1.93 m) 		215 lb
(98 kg) 		34+1⁄8 in
(0.87 m) 		9+3⁄8 in
(0.24 m)		 4.45 s 1.55 s 2.63 s 4.32 s 6.79 s 37.5 in
(0.95 m)		 10 ft 5 in
(3.18 m)		 14 reps
All values from Pro Day[12][13]

2021 season

Collins was drafted 89th overall by the Houston Texans in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft.[14] On May 12, 2021, Collins officially signed with the Texans.[15] Heading into his first training camp in the NFL, Collins was listed as a starting wide receiver alongside veterans Brandin Cooks and Chris Conley. At the end of the NFL preseason, head coach David Culley named Collins a starting wide receiver, alongside Cooks and Conley, to begin the season.[16]

Collins made his first career start and NFL debut in the Texans' Week 1 victory against the Jacksonville Jaguars. He recorded one reception for seven yards.[17] Collins started in the Texans' Week 2 loss to the Cleveland Browns, where he recorded one reception for 32 yards before exiting early in the first quarter with a shoulder injury.[18] Collins was placed on injured reserve on September 21, 2021.[19] He was activated on October 16, 2021, and returned to start the Texans' Week 6 loss to the Indianapolis Colts. [20][21] In Week 14 against the Seattle Seahawks, Collins recorded five receptions for 69 yards and caught his first career touchdown pass during the Texans' Week 16 victory against the Los Angeles Chargers.[22][23]

Overall, Collins finished his rookie season appearing in 14 games (8 starts) and recorded 33 receptions for 446 yards and one touchdown while playing in just over half of the Texans' offensive snaps on the season.[24][25]

2022 season

Collins entered the 2022 season as the Texans No. 2 receiver behind Brandin Cooks.[26] He finished the season with 37 catches for 481 yards and two touchdowns through 10 games and seven starts.[27] On December 23, 2022, Collins was placed on season–ending injured reserve with a foot injury.[28]

2023 season

During Week 2 against the Indianapolis Colts, Collins finished with 146 receiving yards and a touchdown as the Texans lost 31–20. In a Week 4 win against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Collins set new single-game career highs with seven receptions for 168 receiving yards and two touchdowns. In Week 13 against the Denver Broncos, Collins would top his single-game career highs in yardage and receptions once again finishing with nine receptions for 191 receiving yards while adding in a touchdown as the Texans would win 22–17. In a win-or-go-home scenario against the Colts in Week 18, Collins caught all nine of his targets for a career-high 195 yards and a career-long 75-yard touchdown in a 23–19 win, clinching the Texans a playoff spot for the first time since 2019.[29] He finished the season 8th in the league in receiving yards,[30] and tied 4th in receptions of 20 or more yards.[31]

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Year Team Games Receiving Fumbles
GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Fum Lost
2021 HOU 14 8 33 446 13.5 32 1 0 0
2022 HOU 10 7 37 481 13.0 58 2 0 0
2023 HOU 15 15 80 1,297 16.2 75 8 1 0
Career 39 30 150 2,224 14.8 75 11 1 0

Postseason

Year Team Games Receiving Fumbles
GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Fum Lost
2023 HOU 2 2 11 164 14.9 38 1 0 0
Career 2 2 11 164 14.9 38 1 0 0

References

  1. ^ "Nico Collins - Football". University of Michigan Athletics. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  2. ^ Kirshner, Alex (February 1, 2017). "4-star WR Collins picks Michigan over Bama, Georgia". SBNation.com. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  3. ^ Casagrande, Michael (December 30, 2019). "Why star Birmingham WR chose Michigan over Alabama". A:.com. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
  4. ^ "Nico Collins 2017 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  5. ^ McMann, Aaron (February 18, 2019). "Michigan WR Nico Collins can capitalize on breakout sophomore season". mlive.com. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
  6. ^ "Michigan at Ohio State Box Score, November 24, 2018". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  7. ^ "Nico Collins 2018 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  8. ^ Breiler, Christopher (April 30, 2021). "BREAKING: Nico Collins Selected In Third Round". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  9. ^ "Michigan at Indiana Box Score, November 23, 2019". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  10. ^ "Nico Collins 2019 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  11. ^ "2019 Michigan Wolverines Stats". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  12. ^ "Nico Collins Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
  13. ^ "2022 Draft Scout Nico Collins, Michigan NFL Draft Scout College Football Profile". draftscout.com. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
  14. ^ Ablauf, Dave; Shepard, Chad (April 30, 2021). "Mayfield, Collins, Thomas Selected in Third Round of NFL Draft". MGoBlue.com. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
  15. ^ Levine, Ben (May 12, 2021). "NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/12/21". Pro Football Rumors. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  16. ^ "Houston Texans Depth Chart Archive". Ourlads.com. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  17. ^ "Jacksonville Jaguars at Houston Texans - September 12th, 2021". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  18. ^ "Houston Texans at Cleveland Browns - September 19th, 2021". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  19. ^ "Houston Texans Transactions (9-21-2021)". HoustonTexans.com. September 21, 2021. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  20. ^ "Houston Texans Transactions (10-16-2021)". HoustonTexans.com. October 16, 2021. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  21. ^ Wilson, Aaron (October 16, 2021). "Texans' Laremy Tunsil placed on IR, Nico Collins activated". SportsTalk 790. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  22. ^ "Seattle Seahawks at Houston Texans - December 12th, 2021". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  23. ^ Dougherty, Drew (December 27, 2021). "Nico Collins breaks through for his first career TD | Daily Brew". HoustonTexans.com. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  24. ^ "Nico Collins 2021 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  25. ^ "Houston Texans 2021 Snap Counts". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  26. ^ "Houston Texans Depth Chart Archive". Ourlads.com. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  27. ^ "Nico Collins 2022 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  28. ^ "Texans place WR Nico Collins on injured reserve; make 2 other roster moves". usatoday.com. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
  29. ^ Dajani, Jordan. "Colts vs. Texans score: C.J. Stroud , Nico Collins lead Houston to playoff berth with win over Indianapolis". CBS Sports.com. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  30. ^ "NFL.com | Official Site of the National Football League". NFL.com. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
  31. ^ "NFL.com | Official Site of the National Football League". NFL.com. Retrieved January 22, 2024.

External links

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