Despite being on IR, Texans WR Nico Collins still leads NFL in receiving yards

A third-round pick out of Michigan in 2021, Nico Collins developed into one of the more feared wide receivers in the NFL last year. In his third season with the Houston Texans, Collins broke out with 80 receptions for 1,297 yards with eight touchdowns.

He then landed a huge extension this offseason as he and the Texans agreed to a three-year, $72.75 million deal. At the time, it felt like he might have been paid too much considering he had just one season with more than 1,000 yards. Once other wideouts got paid, however, it became apparent the Texans were wise to make the move when they did.

Collins also proved he wasn't a one-year wonder by storming out of the gate with 32 receptions for 567 yards and three touchdowns in the first five games. In that fifth game, he hardly played as he was injured in the first half when he tweaked his hamstring on a 67-yard touchdown.

He was eventually sent to the IR, meaning he will miss at least four games. What's impressive is that even though he missed the majority of Week 5 and all of Week 6, Collins enters Week 7 as the NFL's leader in receiving yards. Here's a look at the top three receivers entering the weekend:

Nico Collins: 567 yards
Ja'Marr Chase: 565 yards
Chris Godwin: 511 yards

Chase should surpass Collins on his next reception and Godwin, who has an NFL-leading 43 receptions, won't be far behind. It has to be frustrating for Collins, who was on a record pace.

Even without playing in the second half of Week 5, he was on pace to break the franchise record for receiving yards at 1,928. His pace had him heading toward 109 receptions and 10 touchdowns as well. Those numbers could have made him a threat to surpass nearly every receiving record the Texans have.

Here's a look at the major records in team history.

Houston Texans current single-season receiving records

Most Receptions: 115:
Andre Johnson (2008), DeAndre Hopkins (2018)

Most Yardage: 1,598
Andre Johnson (2012)

Most Touchdowns: 13
DeAndre Hopkins (2017)

His hamstring injury will prevent him from overtaking two of the best players this team has ever seen this year. However, Collins is still just 25 years old and has an incredible rapport with C.J. Stroud. That means it won't be surprising to see him leap to the top of the record books in multiple receiving categories.

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