Mobile, Ala - In one of the most talented wide receiver groups in recent memory at the Senior Bowl, one of the standouts from both the American and National teams, was Iowa State receiver Jayden Higgins, who had some of the best performances of the day 1 of practices from Hancock Whitney Stadium. Here's a breakdown of his game and where he could end up come draft day in April in Green Bay.
Jayden Higgins
Position: Wide Reciever
School: Iowa State
Year: Senior
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 217 lbs
40 Yard Dash Time: 4.55 (via NFL Draft Buzz)
2024 Season Stats: 87 receptions, 1,183 yards (13.6 per catch), nine touchdowns
Current Draft Projection: 4th round pick (via Bleacher Report)
Career Overview
Higgins began his college career in the FCS Eastern Kentucky Colonels as a two-star recruit after playing at Westminster Christian School in his hometown of Miami, "Growing up in my community, football (and) sports, in general, is just something that we all do to stay out of trouble and play sports," Higgins said.
After a relatively quiet freshman season, Higgins broke out in his sophomore season with 757 yards on 58 catches, with 10 going for touchdowns. After his two seasons in the Bluegrass state, Higgins opted for the transfer portal after the 2022 season, thanks to a good relationship with Cyclones offensive coordinator Nate Scheelhaase, he played for the Iowa State Cyclones. It's safe to say that it was a match made in heaven for both sides, as Higgins continued to improve, ending his time in Ames, Iowa with 2,166 yards, 15 touchdowns, and 140 catches (15.4 yards per catch). Higgins said that he was able to put up these kinds of stats because Scheelhaase believed in him to make those big catches down the field.
Player Comparison: Cedric Tillman
How Tillman and Higgins move so similarly is almost uncanny. Aside from the fact that they are the same height and are just within two pounds of each other, they have good bursts of speed and use their long strides to pick up yards in chunks. They also use their combination of size and speed well to separate from defenders at an impressive rate, leading to big opportunities in run-after-the-catch (RAC), or just making a play deep down the field.
"Speed and size translates no matter where you are or league you're in," Higgins said.
The issue with both of them seems to be consistency in catching the football. There have been times in his short NFL career for Tillman that drops have been a problem. In just the first day of practice, I counted at least three drops from Higgins, including a potential touchdown on a deep pass to the back of the endzone. If Higgins can clean that up some and gain some consistency that way, it will go a long way in pushing Higgins up the draft boards from the 4th round.
Best Fit
Two teams in the AFC could desperately use an infusion of a big wide receiver: the Los Angeles Chargers and the New England Patriots. Looking beyond the obvious of both of these teams needing to add any talent at all in their receiver rooms, Higgins fits the mold as a big physical receiver which New England or Los Angeles. The Pats' top three receivers are all 6' foot or under and the Chargers could use a Mike Williams replacement in terms of a big body who can reach far downfield to make big plays. Based on what I've seen from Higgins today, he could be well on his way to being an impactful NFL player.
Make sure to stay locked in with all of us at TDT Media as we bring you in-person coverage of the Senior Bowl all week long to bring you interviews such as these throughout the week of practice, leading up to the game.