Nico Collins

American football player (born 1999)

American football player
Nico Collins
refer to caption
Collins with the Wolverines 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
  • Houston Texans (2021–present)
Roster status:Active
Career NFL statistics as of 2023
Receptions:150
Receiving yards:2,224
Receiving touchdowns:11
Player stats at PFR

Dominique Stephon "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 for the Michigan Wolverines and was selected 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.[1] As a junior, he caught 60 passes for 1,103 yards and 16 touchdowns. As a senior, he had 43 receptions for 865 yards and 9 touchdowns.[2] In February 2017, Collins committed to play football at Michigan over Georgia and Alabama.[3][4]

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

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

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[13][14]

2021 season

Collins was drafted 89th overall by the Houston Texans in the third round of the 2021 NFL draft.[15] On May 12, Collins officially signed with the Texans.[16] Heading into his first training camp, Collins was listed as a starting wide receiver alongside veterans Brandin Cooks and Chris Conley. Again at the end of the NFL preseason, head coach David Culley named Collins a starting wide receiver, alongside Cooks and Conley.[17]

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.[18] Collins again 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.[19] Collins was placed on injured reserve on September 21.[20] He was activated on October 16, and returned to start the Texans' Week 6 loss to the Indianapolis Colts.[21][22] 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.[23][24]

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.[25][26]

2022 season

Collins entered the 2022 season as the Texans No. 2 receiver behind Brandin Cooks.[27] He finished the season with 37 catches for 481 yards and two touchdowns, playing in ten games, including seven starts.[28] On December 23, Collins was placed on season–ending injured reserve with a foot injury.[29]

2023 season

During Week 2 against the Indianapolis Colts, Collins finished with 146 receiving yards and a touchdown as the Texans lost 31–20.[30] 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.[31] 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, adding a touchdown as the Texans won 22–17.[32] 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.[33] He appeared in 15 games and made ten starts in the 2023 season. He had 80 receptions for 1,297 yards and eight touchdowns.[34] He finished the season 8th in the league in receiving yards,[35] and tied 4th in receptions of 20 or more yards.[36]

Collins had a receiving touchdown in the Texans' 45–14 victory over the Browns in the Wild Card Round.[37]

2024 season

On May 29, Collins agreed to a three-year contract extension with the Texans, worth a maximum of $75 million, with $52 million guaranteed.[38][39]

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. ^ "Former Clay-Chalkville state champion Nico Collins returns to Michigan for senior season". The Trussville Tribune. January 6, 2020. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  2. ^ "Nico Collins - Football". University of Michigan Athletics. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  3. ^ Kirshner, Alex (February 1, 2017). "4-star WR Collins picks Michigan over Bama, Georgia". SBNation.com. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  4. ^ Casagrande, Michael (December 30, 2019). "Why star Birmingham WR chose Michigan over Alabama". A:.com. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
  5. ^ "Nico Collins 2017 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  6. ^ "Nico Collins 2018 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  7. ^ Breiler, Christopher (April 30, 2021). "BREAKING: Nico Collins Selected In Third Round". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  8. ^ McMann, Aaron (February 18, 2019). "Michigan WR Nico Collins can capitalize on breakout sophomore season". mlive.com. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
  9. ^ "Michigan at Ohio State Box Score, November 24, 2018". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  10. ^ "Michigan at Indiana Box Score, November 23, 2019". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  11. ^ "Nico Collins 2019 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  12. ^ "2019 Michigan Wolverines Stats". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  13. ^ "Nico Collins Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
  14. ^ "2022 Draft Scout Nico Collins, Michigan NFL Draft Scout College Football Profile". draftscout.com. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
  15. ^ Ablauf, Dave; Shepard, Chad (April 30, 2021). "Mayfield, Collins, Thomas Selected in Third Round of NFL Draft". MGoBlue.com. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
  16. ^ Levine, Ben (May 12, 2021). "NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/12/21". Pro Football Rumors. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  17. ^ "Houston Texans Depth Chart Archive". Ourlads.com. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  18. ^ "Jacksonville Jaguars at Houston Texans - September 12th,". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  19. ^ "Houston Texans at Cleveland Browns - September 19th, 2021". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  20. ^ "Houston Texans Transactions (9-21-2021)". HoustonTexans.com. September 21, 2021. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  21. ^ "Houston Texans Transactions (10-16-2021)". HoustonTexans.com. October 16, 2021. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  22. ^ Wilson, Aaron (October 16, 2021). "Texans' Laremy Tunsil placed on IR, Nico Collins activated". SportsTalk 790. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  23. ^ "Seattle Seahawks at Houston Texans - December 12th, 2021". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  24. ^ Dougherty, Drew (December 27, 2021). "Nico Collins breaks through for his first career TD | Daily Brew". HoustonTexans.com. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  25. ^ "Nico Collins 2021 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  26. ^ "Houston Texans 2021 Snap Counts". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  27. ^ "Houston Texans Depth Chart Archive". Ourlads.com. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  28. ^ "Nico Collins 2022 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  29. ^ Lane, Mark (December 23, 2022). "Texans place WR Nico Collins on injured reserve; make 2 other roster moves". USA TODAY. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  30. ^ "Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans - September 17th, 2023". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  31. ^ "Pittsburgh Steelers at Houston Texans - October 1st, 2023". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  32. ^ "Denver Broncos at Houston Texans - December 3rd, 2023". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  33. ^ 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.
  34. ^ "Nico Collins 2023 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  35. ^ "2023 NFL Receiving". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  36. ^ "NFL.com | Official Site of the National Football League". NFL.com. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
  37. ^ "Wild Card - Cleveland Browns at Houston Texans - January 13th, 2024". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  38. ^ Edholm, Eric (May 28, 2024). "Texans signing WR Nico Collins to three-year, $72.5 million extension". NFL.com. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  39. ^ "Houston Texans Transactions (05-29-2024)". HoustonTexans.com. May 29, 2024.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Nico Collins.
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