The Texans have another name on the NFL’s annual Top 100 list, and this one lands just outside the top 50.
Houston wide receiver Nico Collins checked in at No. 58 on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2026, giving the Texans their second player on the list after Pro Bowl linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair made his debut following a career year in his seventh season.
For Collins, the placement only reinforces what has become a pretty steady truth in Houston: he’s the No. 1 target and one of the league’s most respected wideouts. Since C.J. Stroud took over as the offense’s lead quarterback, Collins has sat near the top of the position, and this past season looked a lot like the version of him the Texans have come to expect.
He played in 15 of Houston’s 17 regular-season games, missing time because of a concussion and sitting out Week 18 for rest, but still put together his third straight 1,000-yard season. Collins finished with 71 catches, 1,117 yards and six touchdowns. That production marked his second-highest total in both receptions and yards since his breakout 2023 season.
What makes Collins such a tough cover is the full package. He brings size, athleticism and the kind of downfield explosiveness that changes how defenses line up against Houston. Around the league, that reputation is already baked in.
Teammates didn’t hold back when the ranking came out.
“I don't think anyone can cover him one-on-one. Like, it's just not possible.
It's really not,” Derek Stingley said. “He's just an all-around great receiver.
Like, he's got hands. He's got speed.
He's got quickness. He's got everything...
He's top three in the league right now. He doesn't get the recognition all the time.”
“When I first got here, I told [Nico Collins], 'Man, it's my job to make you a superstar. And I think he's up to that level now,’ C.J.
Stroud said. ‘Teams are starting to double him, rotate to him, and give him all of that superstar treatment.
Fast, strong, catchability, reactability... I think he's top five."
The respect isn’t limited to Houston, either. Opponents see it too.
“He's one of my favorite receivers to watch, honestly, and to study. He's big, tall, athletic, does a great job at the line, winning against press," Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce said. "I think he's one of the most underrated players in the NFL."
“I like Nico's game. He's a big-bodied receiver. But he can still take the top off the defense," Los Angeles Rams safety Kam Curl said.
The NFL has only revealed players ranked 51 through 100 so far, so Collins may not stay alone on the Texans’ side of the list for long. For now, though, he’s the latest Houston standout to get league-wide recognition - and the fact that he landed at No. 58 says plenty about how highly he’s viewed around the NFL.
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