Nico Collins is Undervalued

Nico Collins has been one of the NFL’s most prolific receivers of the past two seasons. After two lackluster seasons to start his career, he exploded onto the scene in 2023, going for just under 1300 yards and 8 touchdowns. He followed that up in 2024 with just over 1000 yards and 7 touchdowns, despite missing 5 games. If Collins hadn’t injured his hamstring in week 5 of last season, his full season pace would’ve amounted to over 1400 yards and 10 touchdowns. Yet despite these top tier stats, he’s still going behind receivers that have much bigger question marks. Let’s take a look at two receivers who should NOT be drafted ahead of Collins despite their higher ADP.

Nico Collins

WR • HOU

SEASONAL STATS

📊 Projections2024

📈 2025 Season Projections

PPR Points

276.1

Receptions

92

Receiving Yards

1295

Receiving TDs

9

Puka Nacua has been a special talent since entering the NFL in 2023, finishing as WR4 in his rookie year and WR6 on a per game basis in his second season. His inclusion on this list is far less about Nacua himself, and significantly more about the personnel around him. This offseason, the Rams went out and signed star receiver Davante Adams to a 2 year, $44 million contract. The simple inclusion of Adams, who has not failed to catch at least 8 TDs in a season since 2019, severely limits Nacua’s TD upside. Couple that with an elite run game due to Kyren Williams’ emergence and the shaky health of aging quarterback Matthew Stafford, and Nacua finds himself in a situation that is going to be more challenging to put up top tier numbers compared to what he’s accustomed to these past two years. Again, this is not a knock on Nacua’s talent. He has displayed how elite he is time and time again. However, it’s worth considering who offers more upside at the back end of the first round. The WR2 in the Texans offense is Christian Kirk, who despite having a few nice seasons under his belt, is unlikely to limit Collins touchdown upside. The Texans RB room is currently looking more like a hospital with Joe Mixon ailing, thus making the passing game even more prominent. Finally, trusting the long term health of CJ Stroud compared to Matthew Stafford this season just seems like a much safer bet simply due to their age. All in all, you may want to consider Collins over Nacua if you find yourself in that position late in the first or early in the second round. 

Puka Nacua

WR • LAR

SEASONAL STATS

📊 Projections2024

📈 2025 Season Projections

PPR Points

276.8

Receptions

98

Receiving Yards

1237

Receiving TDs

7

The second player we’ll look at is Malik Nabers, who much like Nacua, is on this list not because he himself lacks the talent, but because his situation is not ideal. It’s no secret that the Giants have been dreadful for several years now, with the exception of one playoff appearance in 2022. They enter 2025 with more hope than in years past, however, this is not necessarily an offense you should look to invest a first round pick in. New QB Russell Wilson currently offers more questions than answers. If he can turn back the clock to his Seahawk days, then Nabers could be in line for a potential overall WR1 finish, although that’s highly unlikely. Additionally the Giants invested their fourth round pick in Arizona State running back Cam Skattebo. Him, alongside talented second year back Tyrone Tracy signals a willingness to lean more heavily on the run game than last year when the Giants entered the season with Devin Singletary as their starting back. This is not to say Nabers will not put up elite numbers. Last year he finished as WR7, and it would not be surprising to see him replicate that finish in 2025. But when you compare his upside to Nico Collins, it becomes apparent that Nabers’ ceiling is severely capped due to factors outside of his control. The same cannot be said of Collins. He will be force fed the football in this Texans offense. If he’s able to stay healthy, it’s very likely that he finishes as a top 5 WR. Draft Collins in the late first if given the opportunity.

Malik Nabers

WR • NYG

SEASONAL STATS

📊 Projections2024

📈 2025 Season Projections

PPR Points

279.3

Receptions

102

Receiving Yards

1278

Receiving TDs

8