Nico Collins

Houston Texans·#12

Pos WRHt 6'4"Wt 222 lbExp 5 yrCollege Michigan

Updated September 21, 2026

WR rankings →

Model Score

90.7 MODEL

2021

68.2

2022

70.7

2023

88.3

2024

89.8

2025

90.7

How good he is at what he is supposed to be doing, out of 100. Not a projection of what he will do next, and not a read on his contract. Median is about 70, and a 95 is rare. How it is built →

Season Stats · 1 games

Rec

Rec Yds

Rec TD

Targets

75.0

Yds/Gm

21.2

Fantasy PPG

Advanced Metrics EPA & Next Gen Stats

0.905

EPA / target

1.1 yd

Avg separation

4.0 yd

Avg cushion

0.3

YAC over exp

70.0%

Catch %

Draft & College

Round 3, pick 89 · Houston Texans · 2021

Michigan (Big Ten)

Taken

#89

where he actually went

Consensus board

87th

average of the public big boards that spring

Our college model

#338

among WR in our college data

He went about where consensus had him.

In college · 2018-2019 · 25 games · partial record

71 rec, 1,304 yds, 9 TD, 18.4 yds/rec

Covers the college seasons in our data, which does not always reach back to a player's first year.

Comps

College career

his college career vs theirs

Michael Jefferson87%Marko Mitchell86%Steve Smith85%

STM Take

Collins at STTM #8 tier 1 in 2025 holds his 2024 ranking and confirms three straight tier-1 seasons. The career 15.0 YPC is among the best in the field for a possession-plus-vertical hybrid receiver. The Houston ecosystem (Stroud's bouncing rank, the 2024 sophomore dip) creates volatility, but Collins himself has been steady.

Collins was born in Pinson, Alabama and was part of the 2014 Class 6A state championship Clay-Chalkville team. He played four years at Michigan and was selected by Houston 89th overall in the 2021 NFL Draft. He has made two Pro Bowls (2024, 2025) and accumulated 289 receptions for 4,347 yards (15.0 YPC) and 24 TDs across five seasons. He went from STTM #99 tier 8 as a rookie to tier 1 in three of the last three years.

Strengths

Career 15.0 YPC on 289 receptions through five seasons; the per-catch efficiency is among the best in the field.
Two consecutive Pro Bowls with a tier-1 finish in each year; the rank is now stable, not aspirational.

Concerns

C.J. Stroud's tier-6 finish in 2025 caps the team-level passing ceiling; Collins's volume lives on the QB.
Recent game log shows three sub-10 PPR weeks in the back half of 2025; floor games come when Stroud sits.

What to watch: Whether Houston's offensive line and pass-protection investments in 2026 lift Stroud back to tier-3 or better; Collins's volume rides on it.