‘He’s a superstar’: How Nico Collins emerged as Texans’ No. 1 target, one of top receivers in NFL

HOUSTON – C.J. Stroud was convinced, immediately, on sight.

It took only a few moments for the Texans’ quarterback to understand the vast talents and attributes of imposing veteran wide receiver Nico Collins.

Size. Speed. Strength. Toughness. Hands. Route-running skills. Ability to run after the catch.

Collins has every requisite trait to excel at one of the most difficult positions in the NFL.

And this breakthrough season Collins has manufactured doesn’t come as a surprise to Stroud, the strong-armed NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year frontrunner from Ohio State who has benefited greatly from his connection with a Michigan man coming off an epic performance against the Indianapolis Colts.

“I think he just stamped who he is,” Stroud said. “I told him our first time ever working out together. I said, you’re a superstar. I never even snapped the ball in the league, but I just know good receivers. I played where we have tremendous receivers.

“I told him, my goal is to make you look as best as you can, to make you look like you. I appreciate him just being just a consistent, great friend to me, somebody who I can just let my hair down with, and I think our chemistry shows on the field. Our friendship shows on the field. I’m super proud of that dude, man. It’s just the beginning for him.”

The chemistry between Stroud and Collins has been on point all season. There was no greater example than how they dismantled the Colts’ overwhelmed secondary during a 23-19 victory that clinched the AFC South champion Texans’ ticket to the postseason that starts Saturday during an AFC wild-card playoff game against the Cleveland Browns at NRG Stadium.

Collins caught nine passes for a career-high 195 yards on nine targets against the Colts despite commanding a lot of attention from the defense due to the absence of injured wide receivers Robert Woods and Noah Brown.

Collins scorched Colts rookie corner JuJu Brents on a 75-yard bomb for a touchdown on the Texans’ first play from scrimmage. The football traveled 59.2 air yards, according to NextGen Stats, for the longest of Stroud and Collins’ careers.

“C.J. and Nico, they stole the show,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “Awesome job. Two of our best playmakers. Nico, we needed him most, and he showed up big-time for us and made a ton of big plays. It’s the reason why we won this game.”

For Collins, it’s been a series of stellar performances. After dealing with multiple injuries during his first two NFL seasons, including foot, calf, groin and shoulder issues, he has remained largely healthy this season after spending his offseason haunting the Texans’ weight room, upgrading his diet and taking up hot yoga and other body work.

He has caught a career-high 80 passes for 1,297 yards and eight touchdowns. He’s the third wide receiver in franchise history to surpass 1,200 receiving yards, joining Andre Johnson and DeAndre Hopkins.

Does Collins recall that conversation with Stroud? Not so much.

“To be real, I really don’t, but I believe he said it,” Collins said. “We always motivate each other, man. I feel like that’s why things get kind of blurry.”

“That dude is special. He carries himself every day with that it factor to him. The sky is the limit for him. He’s really special.”

Although Collins has surpassed his combined production during his first two seasons since being drafted in the third round out of Michigan as the second draft pick in general manager Nick Caserio’s first year running the Texans’ personnel department, his quantum leap as an all-around wide receiver doesn’t come as a surprise to Ryans.

“I’ve constantly talked about Nico and the plays he’s made, and that hasn’t changed,” said Ryans, who has praised Collins going back to the spring. “I know I keep saying that and everybody is probably looking at me like, ‘Oh, you guys don’t have receivers.’ His mindset hasn’t changed.

“He’s been the same guy. He’s a big-time playmaker for us, and he shows up every single day. He hasn’t changed who he is. He still shows up in a humble manner. He shows up and he works hard every day at practice, and that’s why he continues to get better. He continues to show up in the games.

Collins caught 70 passes for 927 yards and three touchdowns in his first two dozen games after joining the Texans.

A lack of durability was the biggest thing holding back the Birmingham, Alabama native.

So, he worked on his body and his mental approach to the game.

Although Collins isn’t outspoken at all, his presence has been felt. Greatly. Just ask the cornerbacks who can’t match Collins’ 4.4 speed in the 40-yard dash or how he trucks them after catching the football.

“I would say just his tenacity,” Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik said. “He didn’t really talk much, but his mentality like when he lined up, you can tell he really wanted to get off the ball. He really put his foot in the ground, and he declared where he was going.

“When he was jumping to catch a fade or something, he was grabbing with two hands, aggressively putting it away. All the attention to detail, like the little things that a lot of people probably don’t notice that he does on a day-to-day basis in his routes. We got to play in OTAs, got to start doing like 7-on-7 and he was a lot faster than I thought.”

Collins leads the Texans with 109 targets and 53 first downs. He’s averaging 16.2 yards per catch.

He has drawn comparisons to former Pro Bowl wide receiver Julio Jones.

Now he’s a key figure in this playoff game against the Browns’ top-ranked defense and highest ranked pass defense.

“Obviously, he’s been a stud,” Slowik said. “He’s been at wide receiver one, he’s went out and performed. Anytime he has a one-on-one he’s taken advantage of the opportunity. He’s affected the game as a downfield threat, as an intermediate threat, and then, really even as a catch-and-run guy.

“He’s taken such great strides just from where he was the last couple of years watching him on tape. It’s been really fun to watch and be a part of and it changes our team. You can see it spread across the whole offense in the culture of what we’re doing. Nico is an unbelievable individual. He’s far exceeded anything that I think any of us could have imagined.”

A former All-Big Ten Conference selection for the Wolverines, Collins is thriving with Stroud delivering spirals to him.

Stroud didn’t play in the first meeting with the Browns, a 36-22 loss on Christmas Eve. Collins was out that week, too.

“It’s big-time,” Collins said. “You don’t want to have none of your brothers missing out. For him to be back, it’s a great feeling for the team, for the organization. The dude is special. It’s going to be a great day.

“It’s here. It’s a blessing. We won the division, so we’re in the playoffs. It can’t get better than that. This opportunity to have fun, this is what we’ve been grinding for. Leave it all out there. We’ve been grinding for a long time for this moment. You don’t want to let it go through your fingers.”

Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com.

Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.