Nico Collins described himself as somewhat of a recluse. “Solo” is the way he put it on a sweltering Thursday morning, two days before the Texans rookie wide receiver was scheduled to make his professional debut in Green Bay.
Collins spends the little time off he gets during his first NFL training camp at home, alone in the little townhouse he settled into shortly after the Texans traded three picks to re-enter the third round of the NFL draft and select the long, speedy Michigan receiver.
Now Playing:
His pleasures are fit for the solitary and quiet: searching out a new restaurant, a night at the movies, going to Topgolf and neglecting its myriad team-play games to just set the ball on a rubber tee, aim for the back fence and “smash it and see how far I can hit it.”
Those close to Collins agree he’s the silent type, at least until those moments when he’s reminded again he can be the most dominant football player on the field.
Terelle West, a former Middle Tennessee State running back who’s known Collins since they were kids, laughed recalling how they hollered back and forth at each other when their college teams met in the 2019 season opener.
West told his teammates all summer to look out for Michigan’s No. 4 — “man, we ain’t worried about him,” he remembers they’d say — and he had to watch from the sideline as his childhood friend leaped over a defensive back and caught a 28-yard touchdown in a 40-21 Michigan victory.
“That was amazing,” said West, now the running backs coach at Clay-Chalkville High School, their alma mater near Birmingham, Ala.
People from Collins’ hometown know that even without the self-promotion and fanfare, Collins’ professional career can still be the proverbial golf ball streaking beyond the driving range fence.
The combination of Collins’ 6-4, 215-pound frame, impressive pass-catching skills and 4.43 40-yard dash he ran at Michigan’s Pro Day makes the 22-year-old a player who the Athletic’s NFL draft analyst Dane Brugler says “can be a legitimate starter in the league.”
After 14 days of training camp practices, Collins has already earned the respect of veteran receivers like Brandin Cooks, a 5-10, 183-pound explosive threat who can get beneficial matchups if a large-framed receiver like Collins can draw attention from NFL defenses.
“You may say, ‘Rookie,’” Cooks said after Thursday’s practice. “But the way he goes about his work, the way he follows some of these vets, you respect that out of a young guy, and he’s picking it up every day.”
Collins trained for his NFL debut longer than most rookies.
A year ago, he decided to return for his senior year at Michigan only to have a pandemic disrupt the entire sports world. The Big Ten Conference initially canceled its season, and after waiting to see how things would turn out, Collins decided to opt out, sign with an agent and begin preparing for the NFL draft.
By the time the Big Ten reversed its decision and decided to play a shortened, conference-only schedule, it was too late for Collins to return.
“I already signed with an agent,” Collins said. “I accepted it. I wasn’t expecting them to have a season, so that transition was hard for me. I was just devastated.”
So Collins began training in Pensacola, Fla., trying to make the most of three collegiate seasons in which he totaled 1,388 yards and 13 touchdowns. Another season might have boosted Collins’ stock in a draft in which 10 receivers were chosen in the first two rounds, but perhaps Collins wouldn’t have been available so late in the third, which presented unusual value that enticed Texans general manager Nick Caserio.
The Texans hope Collins can develop into a dynamic fit within offensive coordinator Tim Kelly’s scheme. The third-year play caller has a diverse style in which receivers can be aligned in various spots on the line of scrimmage. It’s a mix-and-match strategy designed to create advantageous matchups.
“(Kelly) does such a great job of spreading the ball around, getting everyone the ball,” Cooks said. “This offense is based on ‘team’ and doing it for one another, and I think he does a good job of that when it comes to his play calls.”
Still, there’s plenty of uncertainty regarding just how effective Houston’s offense will be this season.
“To be blunt,” Brugler said, “I think everything with the Texans offense right now is a challenging situation.”
There are 53 new players, 16 new coaches on staff and instability at quarterback with Tyrod Taylor signing a one-year deal to likely start while Deshaun Watson is sidelined because of legal issues.
“There’s a lot of different challenges going on there,” Brugler said. “For a rookie, you’re just getting introduced to the NFL and everything that comes with it. One way to look at it is there are opportunities there. You look at the players on the Texans’ roster, and I don’t know that there’s necessarily one that you point to and say, ‘Well, he’s definitely the guy. There’s no way you’re going to supplant him.’”
Collins is the tallest of the 12 receivers on the roster, and only three others — Chris Conley (6-3), Jordan Veasy (6-3) and Isaiah Coulter (6-2) — are taller than 6-1.
Conley, a six-year veteran, is the most likely obstacle Collins faces in becoming the Texans’ No. 2 receiver. Conley recorded at least 40 catches in each of the last two seasons with Jacksonville before signing with Houston, and he’s listed as the starter in the franchise’s unofficial depth chart.
Once Collins makes his professional debut Saturday in Green Bay, the Texans will start to know just how quiet he will be.
“He’s getting better and better each day,” coach David Culley said. “Again, you see he’s getting a lot of reps. He’s been getting a lot of opportunities to make some plays. He’s been making some, and some he hasn’t made, but he’s improving each day.”
brooks.kubena@chron.com
twitter.com/bkubena
"type" - Google News
August 13, 2021 at 07:11AM
https://ift.tt/3lWRbbZ
Nico Collins is the strong, silent (and fast) type at receiver for Texans - Houston Chronicle
"type" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2WhN8Zg
https://ift.tt/2YrjQdq
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Nico Collins is the strong, silent (and fast) type at receiver for Texans - Houston Chronicle"
Post a Comment