Bengals: Draft visit gives clues to potential 2021 receiver targets

Bengals wide receiver targets: Nico Collins, Michigan

Nico Collins opted out of the 2020 season and that could be viewed in both a positive and negative light.

The 6’4, 222-pound receiver was just another one of the offensive playmakers who was underutilized at Michigan. With Shea Patterson at quarterback, there was never an opportunity for the likes of Collins, Donovan People-Jones, and Tarik Black to convert talent to production.

Even with the departure of Patterson, uncertainty at the position and the struggles of Jim Harbaugh were unlikely to have seen much of an uptick in production for Collins had he played out his final year.

Having been a four-star recruit out of high school, it’s fair to say that Collins never truly reached his potential. However, he showed how effective he could be. In his sophomore and junior season, he had a combined 75 catches, with 13 of them being touchdown grabs.

While Collins might not possess the straight-line speed of the two previous prospects discussed, it hasn’t hindered him at the college level. He has enough quickness to routinely get deep.

NFL.com analyst Lance Zierlein had this to say about the intriguing prospect,

"Outside receiver with excellent size and quality build-up speed to attack the third level. Collins shines with his ability to track the deep ball and land the 50-50 catch. His size, hands and competitive nature give him an advantage on contested catches underneath."

Much like Donovan Peoples-Jones has flashed in Cleveland, Nico Collins may just find life in the NFL more fruitful than his time in Ann Arbor.