2021 NFL Draft: Houston Texans Trade Up To 89th Overall, Select Nico Collins

The Texans may have entered the 2021 NFL Draft with a lack of ammo, but that didn’t keep Nick Caserio from being aggressive. Houston decided to make selections in the third round, as they traded back into the third round with the Carolina Panthers to select wide receiver Nico Collins. They gave up a fourth and fifth round pick this year, and a fourth round pick in 2022.

Houston currently has Brandin Cooks, Keke Coutee, Chris Conley, Randall Cobb, and a slew of others at wide receiver, but they have lacked a true boundary wideout since they traded DeAndre Hopkins a year ago.

Lance Zierlein had Collins pegged as a second to third round pick and had the following to say about him:

Outside receiver with excellent size and quality build-up speed to attack the third level. Collins shines with his ability to track the deep ball and land the 50-50 catch. His size, hands and competitive nature give him an advantage on contested catches underneath. He struggles to slip press coverage quickly and has issues ridding himself of coverage unless he’s getting vertical. Despite his frame, his struggles to uncover on intermediate routes could bother teams looking for a three-level target. Collins must improve his route acumen to open his catch windows a little wider, but he has the size, field toughness and ball skills to become a future chain-mover as a WR2.

Collins fits a need the Texans had and continued to have since they traded Hopkins. He has a skill set no one else on the Houston roster has.

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