Gil Brandt tabs Nico Collins as non-first rounder slated to make an immediate impact

Hall of Fame NFL executive Gil Brandt labeled Nico Collins as one of his 11 non-first-round rookies that could make an immediate impact in the 2021 season.

Collins, a former four-star wide receiver recruit out of Alabama, played three seasons at the University of Michigan. Though he was rather quiet his freshman season, playing in just four games and logging three catches for 27 yards, his breakout sophomore campaign saw him amass 38 receptions for 632 yards and six touchdowns. After receiving a 2018 All-Big Ten honorable mention, he led the entire Big Ten his junior season with his 19.7 yards per catch, totaling 729 yards and seven touchdowns.

He ended up opting out of his senior season, saying on The Adam Schefter Podcast that his decision was in large part because of the Big Ten’s initial decision to cancel the 2020 football season.

“I came back for my senior season,” Collins said. “Everything was going smooth until this virus outbreak. The one thing that really impacted my decision was when we were supposed to play, our set date was Sept. 5 against Purdue, during that camp process, they canceled the season.”

Collins was taken by the Houston Texans with the 89th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, but the third rounder was originally projected to be taken much earlier. Prior to opting out of his senior season, a year in which he was expected to be a focal point in the Wolverine offense, ESPN’s Todd McShay projected Collins to go in the first round — 18th overall — to the Green Bay Packers.

With Collins falling to the Texans in the third round, Brandt thinks the wideout will be well-positioned for early success in the NFL.

“He’s impressed his teammates this preseason,” Brandt wrote. “It would not be surprising if veterans Brandin Cooks, Chris Conley and Anthony Miller (who is currently dealing with a shoulder injury) were all playing elsewhere in 2022, and Collins has a chance to establish himself as a key element of the Texans’ plans for the future this season.”

The Texans played the Packers in their first preseason game on Aug. 14, and Collins was on the field for all of the first team’s snaps. He continued to see the field well after the first team was pulled, and he caught his first-career NFL pass from rookie quarterback Davis Mills. He took the pass for 24 yards but was eventually tackled just short of the end zone.