Michigan wide receiver Nico Collins enters the 2021 NFL Draft after having opted out of the 2020 college football season for covid related reasons. Collins wanted to be as productive with his time as possible, so he began advanced training for the NFL Scouting Combine. On the field, Collins is a big-play threat vertically down the field that pairs very good vertical speed with excellent ball skills.

Strengths

• Does not possess top breakaway speed, though he's rarely caught from behind.
• Has good body strength to squirm out of tackles with the coordination to maneuver his frame between defenders.
• Has enough upper-body strength and tenacity to be very effective as a downfield blocker. Is not shy about taking on his man, provides some pop and will open a running lane for his back at the next level.
• Does a nice job locating and tracking deep passes and is a legitimate vertical threat. Willing to go up and attack the ball.
• Has the strong hands any NFL wide receiver coach and quarterback would covet. Tracks the deep ball over either shoulder and brings in passes fluidly without breaking stride downfield.
• Strong runner with the ball with enough agility to make defenders miss in the open field.
• A versatile weapon, proving to be effective inside in the slot and outside on the perimeter. Makes plays at all levels of the field.
• Has a knack for getting open and is a quarterback's best friend - passers just need to toss the ball in his area and he'll come down with it.

Weaknesses

• Collins has the overwhelming size and the second gear needed to consistently stack defensive backs; projecting him into a vertical passing offense would make the most sense in trying to find an ideal role.
• Comes off the snap high and upright, and doesn't get to top speed quickly. Not sudden or elusive.
• Collins isn’t the most well-rounded wide receiver and because of that, he may take some time to fully flesh out the rest of the game.
• His inside breaks aren’t as crisp the further down the field he goes--he tends to round the break-off, giving corners a beat in his direction. He isn’t a zero to 100 type of speed guy--he is more of a build-up speed type of player.
• Collins was guilty of some concentration drops, which was very evident against Ohio State in 2019. Overall though, he does possess big, strong hands.

We think Collins will be taken in the third round but may sneak into the second if some team falls in love with his physicality.