The more the Houston Texans put distance between the organization and the rebuild, the more accolades their roster will start to receive from the commentariat.
Although the Texans are 2-3 on the year, their flirtation with being above .500 for the first time since 2019 is enough to have analysts looking into what overlooked talent is on the team. One such example is receiver Nico Collins.
According to Khaled Elsayed from Pro Football Focus, the former Michigan receiver makes the analytics firm’s “all third and fourth down team” with a 90.1 grade.
What a start to the year for Collins, who is second in yardage to D.J. Moore. Addison is really one to watch, though, and with Justin Jefferson now on the injured reserve, his opportunities here might only go up.
Of course, PFF grades in the abstract are to football fans what Latin was to medieval congregations: impressive from whence they derive, yet nevertheless esoteric. In more understandable terminology provided by Pro Football Reference, Collins has caught nine passes for 209 yards and two touchdowns on third and fourth down through five games. The receiving yards are the second-most among qualifiers, and Collins’ 88.8% conversion rate is the fifth-best among qualifiers.
Interestingly the sixth-highest receiving yards belong to rookie Tank Dell with 155. No doubt Collins’ ability to come through on third and fourth down will be at a premium as Dell is likely to miss Week 6 with a concussion.