The Rough collies (the 'Lassie' dogs) are calmer, but any young collie might tend to agitate the cats -- since they all have herding and nipping tendencies. An older, calmer dog would probably be better for the kitties than getting a puppy. Just about all puppies are more active, curious, and mouthy than a grown dog of the same breed. And then of course you wouldn't have to go through housebreaking!
You might get somebody to loan you an older collie (who knows the command "leave it!") Or you could go to a Collie Rescue organization and ask for one that is cat safe. They might even bring one to your house and let you see how the cats react. Our rescue people here locally are very flexible and work hard to find homes for their dogs. They foster out their dogs before they place them and have a good idea of their temperament and habits.
I know better than to get a border collie - an unemployed work dog is a dog that WILL get into trouble. Probably destructive trouble. Donald McCaig wrote a couple of books about his border collies up on the Blue Ridge, and at least one of the books had a warning about not getting one. I actually did already know that.
Our nearest collie rescue is about 50 miles away, so that's inconvenient, but not impossible.
My Maine Coon cat herded a bunch of escaped banty chicks back from the road once when I lived on the Eastern Shore. Didn't try to snack on even one, and he was a fierce hunter.