WR, Michigan
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 215 lbs
Class: Senior
Nico Collins was a four-star recruit back in 2017, with offers from the likes of Alabama, Georgia, Florida, and Michigan. He committed to the Wolverines and became a full-time starter in his sophomore season. Over the next two seasons he combined for 1,362 yards and 13 touchdowns on 75 catches, before opting out of the 2020 season. Collins enters the draft on the back of a strong Senior Bowl performance and an impressive pro day performance.
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Strengths
Collins has the perfect combination of size and speed that you want in a wide receiver. At 6’4″ and 215 lbs he has the build to translate effectively as a boundary receiver in the NFL. He pairs this with 4.42 speed, making him a very challenging player to cover one-on-one. He showcases good initial quickness off the line of scrimmage and his release package is impressive. Collins is comfortable getting off press coverage too, and does a really nice job of stacking defensive backs downfield.
One of Collins’ biggest strengths is his ability in contested catch situations. He has a huge catch radius and is comfortable making grabs outside his frame. He demonstrated good body control and is excellent at making adjustments to his positioning. Almost a third of his career targets were contested and he won 63.4 per cent of them. There aren’t many receivers better at the catch point in this year’s class and Collins excels at high pointing the ball and making the play. He has the toughness to win over the middle of the field and won’t shy away from contact. This physicality extends to the running game and he puts in a shift as a run blocker.
Collins was used primarily as a deep threat in Michigan’s offense and proved that he could be consistently successful. In 2019, his final year as a starter, he averaged 19.7 yards per reception. This ranked ninth amongst Power Five receivers. He does a great job of tracking the ball downfield and defenses will have to account for him on every play. Collins didn’t log a single drop on any of his catchable targets 20+ yards downfield. His production is more impressive when considering his situation at Michigan. He suffered from consistently poor quarterback play and just 64.8 per cent of his career targets were catchable. This fell to 55.8 per cent on 20+ yard passes.
Weaknesses
Collins’ biggest weakness is his route running. He ran a fairly limited route tree at Michigan, focusing almost exclusively on the vertical tree with an occasional slant or crossing route. Whilst he was fairly productive in college, he lacks the polish that you want in a route runner. His breaks are a little sluggish and inhibit his ability to create consistent separation. He could often win with pure speed at Michigan, but this won’t work as well in the NFL.
Collins also fails to offer anything substantial after the catch. Despite good long speed, he has managed just 379 yards after contact throughout his career. This accounts for just 27.3 per cent of his career yardage. He lacks any sort of dynamism in the open field either, with just eight forced missed tackles on his 78 career receptions. Lacklustre play at quarterback was a big reason for Collins’ sub-par production, but teams will still have concerns. He never had more than 40 receptions in a season and had just one 100+ yard receiving game.
Bottom Line
Collins lacks the collegiate production you would typically expect from a wide receiver prospect, but there are legitimate reasons for this. As a player, he offers clearly translatable traits, and his ability to win with either size or speed makes him a dangerous boundary receiver. He lacks the suddenness and shifty route running you ideally look for in a prospect, but his physical ability make him well worth a mid-round pick.
Big Board Rank: #96
Positional Rank: #15
