(SportsRadio 610) - Rookie wide receiver Nico Collins sat out a year of football and did not seem to miss a beat in his first NFL season.
Collins finished 2021 with 33 catches for 446 yards and a touchdown in his rookie year. In Houston's final game against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, Collins hauled in three catches for 67 yards, including a 30-yard reception.
The numbers are not eye-popping, but it's Collins' maturity and development over the season that has teammates and coaches raving about him.
Veteran wide receiver Danny Amendola, who will mull his future over the offseason after spending his 13th NFL season with the Texans, called Collins one of the best rookies he's played with.
“Not only a good rookie, one of the best rookies I've been around. Great NFL player, man," Amendola said after the Texans' 28-25 season-finale loss to the Titans on Sunday. "He is going to be a force these next few years. He can run. He can catch. He is a dog. Great teammate. Great person. He puts it all in week in, week out. He is going to be something special here pretty quick."
Texans leading receiver Brandin Cooks spoke about what this offseason can do for Collins going into his second season.
"First of all, he’s a big time play maker," Cooks said. "Anytime the ball comes his way it seems like he comes down with it. As a rookie, you just come in and you are thrown into the fire, so it would be awesome for him to get this offseason under his belt with guys, with veterans, with his teammates and actually get his process dialed in so he can play all 16, 17 games and be there consistently. That’s not to his fault, it’s the fact that he is a rookie and most rookies don’t understand. It will be great to be there for him this offseason and be able to help him and lead him to find his process."
The Texans traded up 20 spots to draft Collins with the No. 89 overall pick last year. Collins had opted out of the 2020 season at Michigan due to uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.
At Michigan, Collins worked with current Texans quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator Pep Hamilton, who was the Wovlerines' assistant head coach and passing game coordinator, and assistant wide receivers coach Ben McDaniels, who was an offensive assistant and quarterbacks coach there.