DETROIT – C.J. Stroud and Nico Collins have graduated to an advanced level of expertise as one of the most dangerous quarterback-wide receiver connections in the league.
The timing is on point. The chemistry and rapport is ideal. And the friendship and belief in each other couldn’t be any better.
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From a knowledge, body language and strategy standpoint, what’s understood between the Texans’ Pro Bowl quarterback and Pro Bowl wide receiver doesn’t need to be explained.
“It’s like taking candy from a baby,” Collins told KPRC 2 following a joint practice with the Detroit Lions. “It’s bread and butter. It’s only right for us to continue to grow, continue to find the timing and continue to work on our craft.
“You can’t get comfortable. I feel like that’s one thing you can’t do in this league is get comfortable. I feel like for us, me and him, continue to grow as a unit as an offense and continue to click. Everybody, that’s our goal.”
The way they’ve clicked over two seasons has been prolific and clutch, piling up numbers. In 27 regular-season games over the past two seasons since the Texans drafted Stroud, Collins’ career has hit a new stride with a combined 148 catches for 2,303 yards and 15 touchdowns.
In the postseason, it’s been just as good with a combined 23 catches for 367 yards and two touchdowns in four playoff games together. In those playoff games, Stroud made it a special point to look downfield to his go-to guy. He targeted Collins 33 times.
“He’s always on the priority of getting the ball in his hands,” said Stroud, a former NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and Heisman Trophy finalist from Ohio State. “He’s special with it, but it’s good to try to get it to other guys. I thought he did a good job today, just like everybody else. But it’s always a focus. They always try to take him away, usually. So, you got to find ways to be good in other ways.”
A native of Birmingham, Ala., Collins was the second player drafted by Nick Caserio after he was hired as the Texans’ general manager. After selecting Stanford quarterback Davis Mills in the third round, Caserio traded up to select Collins with the 89th overall pick of the 2021 NFL draft.
It proved to be a wise decision.
The arrival of Stroud started the tandem with Collins, a former University of Michigan standout.
A Buckeye and a Wolverine have become fast friends as teammates after being Big Ten Conference rivals.
Stroud is more outgoing and talkative. Collins is relatively quiet as the quintessential Southern gentleman type of personality.
“We have a really good relationship,” Stroud said. “He is very to himself, very quiet. But he talks to me about a lot. I talk to him about a lot. I think we’re really on the same page all the time. There’s only a couple times throughout the day where we probably don’t be on the same page.”
As a Michigan man, Collins has been soaking up this homecoming.
“Go Blue!” he said.
He spent Thursday morning darting past the Lions’ talented secondary for a series of catches. They had trouble matching his speed and skill.
“It’s great, glad to be back,” Collins said. “Being back in the city, being back in this state, where the fans, they love you. It’s great to come back up here up north. Just seeing where everything started for me, the journey. It was a blessing to be back.”
Dominique Stephon Nicolas Collins, better known as Nico, chose Michigan over scholarship offers from Georgia and Alabama as a four-star recruit.
The decision set the stage for Collins emerging as one of the best receivers in the NFL. Last year, Caserio signed Collins to a three-year, $75 million contract negotiated with agent Drew Rosenhaus that now qualifies as something of a slight bargain considering the rapid rise in receiver salaries.
Collins is happy to be a Texan, and happy with the financial investment and faith the team has placed in him.
He opted out of his final college season in 2020 due to COVID-19 pandemic, finishing his time with the Wolverines with 78 catches for 1,388 yards and 13 touchdowns.
With the Texans after dealing with various durability issues in his first two seasons due to shoulder and foot issues, Collins had a breakthrough season in his first year playing with Stroud. He caught a career-high 80 passes for 1,297 yards and eight touchdowns for an AFC South championship squad. Last season, he made the Pro Bowl despite missing five games with a strained hamstring. Collins still caught 68 passes for 1,006 yards and seven scores.
“Where Nico has grown the most, to me, in these first three years is just the confidence,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “Every time I see Nico I say, ‘What’s up playmaker? You are a big-time playmaker, walk that way.’ He’s done that. He shows up that way on the field.
“Anytime we need a play, we know it and I think the opponent knows it, that’s where the ball is going. With everybody knowing, he still shows up and makes big-time plays in any critical moment that you need him to. That’s one thing I’ve seen is just that confidence is exactly where it needs to be for Nico.”
Staying flexible and keeping his body strong is a huge priority for Collins, who does extra work with Tan Nguyen of Revolve Physical Therapy. He haunts the Texans’ weight room with their strength and conditioning staff as one of the strongest wide receivers in the NFL.
“You’ve got to stretch,” Collins said. “Stretch is important.”
At 6-foot-4, 222 pounds with 4.45 speed in the 40-yard dash, Collins represents the physical prototype for a wide receiver. His route running and hands match his rare traits. And Collins uses his superior size to full advantage.
“It’s everything,” Collins said. “I know I’m a bigger receiver. Just use my speed. Be physical at the line of scrimmage. That’s what DBs, they kind of don’t expect. They kind of expect you to dance at the line of scrimmage.
“You got to be physical, especially me being a bigger target. Just use strength, use my God-given abilities and go out and make plays for the team."
How Collins builds that strength: the old-fashioned way by hoisting heavy metal in the weight room. He’s tall and loose, but he also has a lot of muscle.
“I feel like that carries over to the field,” Collins said. “If you’re not moving iron, what are you doing? You’re playing football, it’s a contact sport and I love the weight room, man. I feel that’s how you get your swag, That’s the way you get the strength man and that’s how you know who’s not in the weight room."
Collins’ excellence hasn’t gone unnoticed around the league.
Before the Texans and Lions hit the field, Detroit coach Dan Campbell recognized how tough a matchup it is against Collins.
“He’s really established himself as a premier receiver,” Campbell said. “The guy’s a crafty route runner. He’s got radar which means he can track the deep ball, make big-boy catches. He plays strong, plays physical, there’s really not much he can’t do.
“He’s certainly somebody that elevates that offense, and I know the quarterback’s got a ton of trust in him, you can see that on tape. When you’ve got that kind of rapport with your guy, it makes it difficult on defenses.”
DETROIT -- #Lions coach Dan Campbell on #Texans 'premier receiver' Nico Collins @lbg_nico7 @UMichFootball @KPRC2 pic.twitter.com/LInLyBPzM2
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) August 21, 2025
The Texans have won the past two consecutive division titles. They lost in the AFC divisional round, though, each season, falling to the Kansas City Chiefs last season and the Baltimore Ravens two years ago. The Texans are 0-6 all-time in the divisional round and are the only team in the AFC to never reach the championship game.
A full season together for Collins with Stroud could be a huge boost to their outlook as a contender.
“Man, I feel like we can shock the world,” Collins said. “Everybody, you know, not just me and No. 7 (Stroud jersey number), but this entire team, entire offense, defense, man, type of guys we have in the locker room. I feel that we can go out and make some noise, but as always, start with your mind, say it in your heart and how you want to go about it."
Between Collins’ speed and towering presence as the headliner of a new-look receiving corps, the Texans’ offense could be extremely potent.
Although there’s been a lot of change, including the exit of Pro Bowl wide receiver Stefon Diggs in free agency to the New England Patriots and Tank Dell suffering a devastating knee injury last season against the Kansas City Chiefs and expected to miss the entire season, the Texans have replenished the position.
They’re arguably deeper and more competitive than a year ago, especially factoring in the arrival of veteran slot receiver Christian Kirk and drafting imposing rookie Jayden Higgins, nearly as big and tall as Collins, and speedster Jaylin Noel from Iowa State.
Although it’s a ton of change at receiver, nearly as dramatic a reboot as the overhauled offensive line, there’s a lot of opportunities for new offensive coordinator Nick Caley to dial up an extensive playbook to capitalize on their skills.
“He knows how to get the playmakers the ball,” Collins said. “Great situation, so I can’t wait to really get going on Sunday’s and for the offense to keep clicking.
“I’m glad that Nick Caley is here. He is dicing things up right now. For the offense, we have to continue to slow it down and learn it, so that we can go out there and operate and have fun doing it.”
The first option is obviously Collins.
Collins is a true No. 1 wide receiver.
“It feels crazy, but it’s also a blessing,” Collins said. “It shows you that time flies, but also it’s a blessing to be in this position. There are a lot of guys that are looking up to me, so it’s only right for me to go in and do my best work.
“Go in and do one percent and be better than I was yesterday. Be a great leader and be the guy that everyone is looking up to. It’s only right that I come out here and get better each and every day and that’s my goal.”
There’s a lot of excitement surrounding the arrival of Higgins and Noel. Higgins (6-foot-4, 215 pounds) is a classic big wide receiver who has drawn comparisons to Collins. Noel has an extensive background as a speedy slot receiver who excels after the catch and on special teams.
Having two towering wide receivers on the field at the same time represents a potential matchup nightmare for defenses.
Collectively, Collins, Kirk, Higgins, Noel and Xavier Hutchinson could form a highly productive group catching passes from Stroud.
“That boy is nice, man,” Collins said of Higgins. “Both rookie receivers, the type of guys we’re bringing in our playmakers. It’s an honor to share the field with them and it’s only right that we go out there and get each other better.
“Learn from each other and talk to each other about the route that we see and anything that they need to work on. I’m here for them to lean on and I’m here to learn from him as well. That’s the only way you can improve on your game. Just having an open mindset and being a learner.”
Before his leg injury, Collins was on a torrid pace to finish the season with over 100 catches and 2,000 receiving yards.
Collins has ascended from a somewhat below-the-radar player from Michigan into one of the top receivers in the NFL.
“It means a lot,” Collins said. “If you go to a grocery store, somebody might recognize you. It’s part of it. You’re out here making plays for the city. Your hard work will come to notice. Lucky for that, that’s what hard work comes to.
“I love the attention, man. I don’t mind it at all. I love giving back, taking pictures for the fans. Just glad to give back to the city, glad to be in this position.”
The Texans are aiming high, as is Collins.
This could be an extremely competitive team this fall. To take the next step as a team, the Texans need to start fast and finish strong. Health is of paramount importance.
Collins is upbeat about it all. He’s highly encouraged about the team outlook from a big-picture perspective.
“I just feel like the guys we have in the locker room, the guys we have, everybody’s special,” Collins said. “Everybody has got the right mindset to come out and get better every day. And so we got to take one game at a time, one play at a time, man and see where we go, continue to grow every day.”
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com