Nico Collins Should Be Considered a No. 1 Receiver
The Nico Collins Player Stats Exceeded Expectations In Year Three
Nico Collins
Dominique Stephon Collins
Houston Texans12
24 years old (03-19-1999)
6 ft/4 in
Pinson, Alabama, U.S
WR
2021 / Round 3 / Pick 89
The Houston Texans have made the postseason. The Texans had many contributors that helped them obtain ten wins. It starts with C.J. Stroud at quarterback, who everyone raves about. However, Stroud wouldn’t be so electric without his top receiver, Nico Collins.
Collins played 15 games for the Texans in the regular season. While he only earned 80 receptions, Collins added 1,297 receiving yards with eight touchdowns.
He ranked 23rd in the regular season in catches but was ranked eighth in receiving yards. That’s because Collins averaged 16.2 yards per catch this season.
In the final couple of weeks, the Texans desperately wanted wins to move on into the NFL Playoffs. In back-to-back games against the Titans and Colts, Collins added 16 catches on 17 targets. He hauled in 275 yards and scored a touchdown throughout the final two weeks.
Ultimately, his game against the Colts proved how valuable Collins was this NFL season. When he was needed the most, he stepped up. In the final game against the Colts, to make the playoffs and earn the AFC South, Collins averaged more than 21 yards a catch on nine catches. Stroud and Collins completed all nine targets thrown his way, and he added one touchdown in that NFL matchup.
Collins is one of the most underrated wide receivers in the NFL. Let’s talk about these Nico Collins player stats below.
How Nico Collins Became The No. 1 Target For The Texans
The Texans drafted Nico Collins in the third round with the No. 89 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
As a third-round pick, you’re expected to make an impact for a team, but no NFL team indeed expects to grap an X-factor after the first or second rounds at the receiver position.
In 2021, Collins got reps. He even had games with five or more targets six times in 2021. However, he hauled in just 33 of 60 targets and added one touchdown after earning 446 receiving yards.
In 2022, Collins still didn’t have a reliable quarterback. The Texans turned to Davis Mills, who completed 37 of 66 passes in ten games. However, Collins got hurt in early December and missed the rest of the season.
He was starting to break out during that time, too. He had earned at least seven targets in four straight games before getting hurt.
Some people saw the breakout coming in 2022. So when the Texans drafted C.J. Stroud for the 2023 season, Collins’ opportunity accelerated.
Collins played 15 games and added 80 catches on 109 targets. He had his first 1,000-yard season and scored eight touchdowns, averaging 16.2 yards a catch. Collins only had three games with five or fewer targets.
2023 Nico Collins Player Stats & Profile
In his third season with the Texans, Collins finally got a reliable quarterback throwing him the football. Once he put his injury history behind him, Collins was able to ball out with Stroud game after game.
It also helped that teammate and rookie Tank Dell got hurt. That gave Collins more opportunity to put up crazy numbers. However, even if Dell were still active, Collins likely would’ve hit at least 1,000 yards.
This season, Collins added at least 100 yards receiving in five games. He never added ten receptions in a game but had two games with at least nine catches.
Nico Collins Player Stats In His Career
Collins broke out in his third season. But the other two seasons helped shape his career. Take a look at Collins’ career numbers with the Texans since joining the team in 2021.
| Nico Collins | CAREER Stats |
|---|---|
| GP | 39 |
| REC | 150 |
| TGTS | 235 |
| YDS | 2,224 |
| AVG | 14.8 |
| TD | 11 |
| LNG | 75 |
| FD | 96 |
| FUM | 1 |
Below, take a look at how much production Collins had in this year’s season.
| Nico Collins | 2023-’24 Stats |
|---|---|
| GP | 15 |
| REC | 80 |
| TGTS | 109 |
| YDS | 1,297 |
| AVG | 16.2 |
| TD | 8 |
| LONG | 75 |
| FD | 53 |
| FUM | 1 |
Has Collins Proved He’s A WR1?
Despite missing two games this year, Nico Collins put up WR1 numbers this season. But what was more impressive was that Collins was able to put up some of his best numbers when it mattered the most.
Stroud and Collins only missed on one throw in the last two games. Collins caught every other ball in the previous two weeks in games where the Texans had to win to make the postseason.
Because of Collins’ production, the Texans have a home game against the Browns to begin the playoffs. Collins will be looking to add another massive performance for the Texans in this one. At home, against a Browns secondary that is really good, it’ll be interesting to see how Collins performs.
If Collins puts up another massive performance against the Browns, it’s evident that Collins should be regarded as a No. 1 wide receiver, but also has one of the best receivers in the NFL.
The world has to stop sleeping on Collins.
Houston has a very low probability of winning the Super Bowl per the Super Bowl odds. But if the Texans want a chance at winning it all, Collins must stay consistent with his NFL stats.
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