Nico Collins
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Nico Collins #12 of the Houston Texans celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the second quarter at NRG Stadium on September 29, 2024 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Jack Gorman/Getty Images)
The Houston Texans have a wide-open race for the second-best wide receiver option behind Nico Collins, and Christian Kirk is one of the candidates. As proven by his 1,108 receiving yards for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2022, Kirk can be a major contributor when given the opportunity.
While the verdict is still out on Kirk being Houston’s WR2, especially with the competitive field vying for that role, he made a confident comparison of Collins with a wideout who played 12 seasons in the NFL.
In a press conference during the Texans’ voluntary OTAs, Kirk described Nico Collins, “The production makes sense just with who he is as a person, seeing him on the field. Somebody who’s that big, that fast, that strong has great hands. Like what I said, it makes sense why he’s been a top-five receiver the past couple of years. I was telling somebody, he kind of reminds me of a former teammate I played with, A.J. Green.”
Christian Kirk on Nico Collins:
“It makes sense why he’s been a top 5 WR the past couple years. He kind reminds me of a former teammate I played with: AJ Green” 👀 pic.twitter.com/qOXxB89iW2
— Houston Stressans (@TexansCommenter) June 3, 2025
Kirk and Green were solid contributors to the 2021 Arizona Cardinals squad that won 11 regular-season games. Despite being at the twilight of his career, Green contributed 848 yards and three touchdowns. But during his prime, there’s a solid argument for Green being one of the league’s top wideouts.
Nico Collins is on the right track because he and Green are Pro Bowlers. While Collins earned his first last season, Green had seven Pro Bowl nods, all during his time with the Cincinnati Bengals. The fourth overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft is a Second-Team All-Pro member in 2012 and 2013.
Green used his strength, size, and sure hands to finish his career with 745 receptions, 10,746 yards, and 71 touchdowns (including playoffs).
Same Role, Different Supporting Cast for Nico Collins
The former Michigan standout will have an unshakeable role in the Texans’ offense. He will be C.J. Stroud’s first option, especially when the opposing defense implements man-to-man coverage. His throne among Houston’s wideouts is untouchable, especially after reaching 1,000 receiving yards despite missing five games due to a hamstring injury.
However, the athletes who will line up with him will be vastly different from last season. With Tank Dell likely to miss the entire 2025 season and Stefon Diggs joining the New England Patriots, the Texans have a combination of veterans and unproven rookies.
While Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel haven’t played an NFL snap, Nico Collins is already raving about his fellow pass-catchers. In a YouTube video uploaded by KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson on May 10, Collins said about the rookies from Iowa State, “They got some dogs. They got some playmakers. They know what they’re doing, DeMeco (Ryans), Nick (Caserio). … It’s going to be fun. It’s going to be a great year.”
Collins Up for a Bigger Role in the Texans’ Offense?
While the wide receiver entering his fifth NFL season is already one of the Texans’ go-to guys, he could be poised for a bigger role if the prediction of Pro Football Focus’ fantasy football expert Nathan Jahnke comes true.
Jahnke wrote about the potential impact of Collins’ teammates on his game, “Caley has been around wide receivers playing at least 85% of offensive snaps regularly before, so a notable increase in snaps for Collins is at least possible.”
If that analysis sticks, Nico Collins can have a monster season that obliterates his career highs in receptions (80), receiving yards (1,297), and touchdowns (8), all accomplished in 2023.