Nico Collins is the unquestioned top option in the Houston Texans’ wide receiver room, and he has some noteworthy new running mates in second-round pick Jayden Higgins and third-rounder Jaylin Noel.
Higgins and Noel are the first pair of wideouts from the same school who were drafted to the same team in the same class since 2013.
Collins is excited about players joining the Texans, praising general manager Nick Caserio.
“They got some dogs, they got some playmakers, man. They know what they’re doing. Nick, they know what they’re doing,” Collins told reporters on May 10. “You got Nick Caley, too, the OC, man. So, it’s going to be fun. It’s going to be a great year, man. I can’t wait to get going with everybody.”
Higgins, in particular, has generated buzz. He signed the first fully guaranteed contract for a second-round pick in NFL history. The 6-foot-4 wideout has also drawn comparisons to Collins.
“I seen a little bit of [the comparisons],” Collins said. “I can’t wait to meet him, bro. Meet him Monday, hopefully. I think the rookies is in there Monday. But, hopefully. I can’t wait to meet him, man. Just get to work with him. It’s going to be an honor to get the field with him, for sure.”
Both players are big-bodied targets for Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud.
Nico Collins Gets Real About Leadership Role With Texans
GettyNico Collins is embracing a leadership role entering his fifth NFL season with the Houston Texans.
Newcomers Braxton Berrios and Christian Kirk join 2024 addition Justin Watson as the elder statesmen of the receiver group.
Still, it is Collins’ room to command among the players, and he does not take that for granted.
“It’s a blessing. It’s a blessing, man, because i remember coming in rookie year looking up to Brandin Cooks, Chris Conley – them guys, man. So, it’s crazy how times fly, but it’s a blessing to be in this position, man,” Collins said.
“It’s only right for me to lead by example the best way I can. I know they going to push me, I’m going to push them. That’s the only way we can get better, that’s the only way we going to shine on Sundays, man. So, push each other, go out there and make plays, man, and let them boys know, let the DBs know what’s up. But I can’t wait to join the guys, man. I’m glad. Year 5 coming quick. I’m excited to get back working with them boys.”
The Texans’ WR corps also includes recent draft picks John Metchie and Xavier Hutchison, though a third, Tank Dell, could miss the 2025 season recovering from a knee injury.
Nico Collins’ Name-Drops History-Making ‘Role Model’
GettyHouston Texans Pro Bowler Nico Collins looked up to Tampa Bay Buccaneers star Mike Evans.
Collins may have looked up to players like Cooks, his teammate from 2020 through 2022, and Conley (2021-22), but another player stood above the rest for the Texans’ star on his way up.
“It was Mike Evans,” Collins said when asked. “Mike Evans was my role model, man. That was the guy I was looking up to. Him, Larry Fitzgerald, Julio Jones. No, but Mike Evans, that was the one, for sure.”
Evans is a strong figure to model one’s game after.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers star tied Hall of Famer Jerry Rice for most consecutive seasons with 1,000-plus receiving yards in 2025. Evans has amassed at least 1000 yards in every season of his 11-year NFL career.
He is a six-time Pro Bowler and helped the Buccaneers win the 2020 Super Bowl.
Collins, who starts a three-year, $72.7 million extension in 2025, missed the 1,000-yard mark in his first two seasons. He crossed the threshold with Stroud in 2023 and 2024, though.
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