Tag: Wolverines Wire

Behind Enemy Lines with Wolverines Wire: The Game from a Michigan fan and media perspective

How are Michigan fans, the team, and media members feeling about Ohio State and The Game coming up? We even asked about J.T. Barrett and “the spot.” with Wolverines Wire. #GoBucks #TheGame

The Game. It’s almost here. In fact, the buildup for it is already in full force with a top-three matchup on tap for Ohio State and Michigan this Saturday at High Noon.

Unlike the most recent years, both fanbases have confidence that their team will be able to handle business, and at the same time, a large section of each fanbase is a little uneasy about what might unfold in the ‘Shoe on Saturday.

Being on the Ohio State side of things, you can almost feel a little nervousness coming from OSU fans on this one, but how are things from the other sideline? Well, it just so happens that we have a sister site, Wolverines Wire, that we can get the pulse from.

We spoke to Trent Knoop of the Michigan-centric site for a Q&A session we like to call “Behind Enemy Lines.” We touched on things like how the program is feeling about the matchup, what TTUN thinks about the Ohio State program these days, and even twisted the knife a little to ask whether J.T. Barrett was short or not back in 2016.

Here is the complete question and answer session. And while we have your attention, if you know any Michigan fans (sorry about that), or you just want to get more perspective from a Wolverine side of things, we encourage you to head on over and check out the great coverage the team does there.

Now, back to the question — er — questions at hand.

Is Texans wideout Nico Collins a throwback No. 1 receiver?

The Houston Texans selected WR Nico Collins in Round 3 of the 2021 NFL draft. Can the former Michigan player be a No. 1 receiver for Houston?

The Houston Texans’ selection of Nico Collins in Round 3 (No. 89 overall) during the 2021 NFL Draft came with mixed reviews.

The Texans addressed their need to add a bigger receiver with Collins standing 6-4. But his selection was the second time the Texans decided to focus on offense during the draft despite their lack of talent on defense. Houston took Stanford quarterback Davis Mills with their first pick (Round 3, No. 67 overall) during the draft.

What made Houston’s decision to select Collins more puzzling was the haul they gave up to acquire the former Michigan Wolverine. The Texans traded two fourth-round picks, one of which is for 2022, and a ’21 fifth-round pick to the Carolina Panthers in exchange for the 89th overall pick used to draft Collins.

However, according to Isaiah Hole, managing editor of the Wolverines Wire, the Texans didn’t pay too steep a price for Collins.

“Nico is your typical throwback number one receiver,” Hole told Locked On Texans. “He’s 6-4 and extremely fast. He is the type of guy that is going to be your downfield threat and catch that 50-50 ball. I think if he has a quarterback who is accurate and has a big arm to throw downfield, that is what will benefit him the most. In fact, that is what Collins is best at.”

Collins spent four years at Michigan, where he recorded a total of 1,388 yards on 78 catches, to go along with 13 touchdowns. He opted out of play during the 2020 collegiate season due to COVID-19 concerns.

During his virtual post-draft press conference, Collins said his workout performances during Senior Bowl week were his opportunity to show NFL scouts what he has been working on during the offseason. With a career of 27 college games under his belt since 2017, Hole compared Collins’ playing style to pro bowl receiver Kenny Golladay.

“I don’t think it was a bad move at all [for the Texans],” he said. “Of course, you want to go out and get a guy like that if you can get him in the third round. I think it was a good move because I think he will be the number one receiver for the Texans. If not this year, then sometime in the next year or two.”

The Texans have two proven veterans atop the receiving corps in Brandin Cooks and Randall Cobb, and signed Chris Conley, Donte Moncrief, and Alex Erickson in free agency.