Overview

Position: WR

College: Iowa State

Class: Senior

Age: 22

 

Measurables

Height: 6’4 1/8”

Weight: 214 lbs.

Arm length: 33 1/8”

Hand size: 9 1/8”

 

Athletic testing

40-yard dash: 4.47 sec.

10-yard split: 1.53 sec.

Vertical jump: 39.0”

Broad jump: 128.0”

Bench press: N/A

3-cone drill: N/A

Short shuttle: N/A

 

Strengths

Prototype overall frame. Big target on in-breaking routes. Catches the ball in stride over the middle. Excellent hands. Confident securing body catches. Terrific combination of size and catch focus to make grabs with defenders on his back. Outstanding timing and feel on fade routes. Quality build-up speed on downfield routes when getting a step on cornerbacks. Smooth catching over the shoulder. Knows how to shield off cornerbacks and get positioning down the field. Great ability to work back to the ball on the perimeter for throws left short and/or inside. Able to shield off defenders and make catches without much separation. Tremendous release footwork and fluidity on slants. Quality footwork in general on inside releases. Effective slow playing a release to create separation. Shows impressive shake and burst for a bigger receiver at the top of routes. Fluid into corner routes when lined up on the perimeter. Good quickness cutting on corner routes. Excellent catch focus and ability to get his feet down along the sideline. Smoothly settles on hitches and presents a target to the quarterback. Shows fluidity on out routes and pivot routes. Experience both out wide and in the slot. Quick breaking off deeper in-breaking routes inside. Natural feel for how to settle between zone coverage from the slot. Does a great job working downfield to find space on broken plays. Used on tunnel screens. Excellent vision and feel with the ball. Gets up the field to maximize yardage. Impressive strength and balance as a runner. Has some elusiveness to make defenders miss. Shows he will lower his shoulder to finish runs. Does a nice job moving his feet to position himself between cornerbacks and the ball as a blocker. Size allows him to thrive as a blocker.

 

Weaknesses

Too many routes appear predictable and easy to cover. Has trouble separating as a route runner from close coverage and contact. Needs to utilize his strength more as a route runner. Lacks vertical deceptiveness on double moves. Could be better settling on in-breaking routes versus zone coverage. Inconsistent attacking the ball in the air down the field when needing to high point. Telegraphed an in-breaking route and wasn’t aggressive enough attacking the ball on a pick-six by Kansas (2024). Could be more aggressive and dominant blocking.

 

NFL comparison

Demarcus Robinson

 

Conclusion

Overall, Higgins is a big wide receiver with great hands, impressive fluidity at his size, and an ability to make plays when contested. Playing with more strength and nuance as a route runner is necessary for him to be more than a complementary piece for an NFL offense.

 

Big Board ranking: #97 | Positional ranking: #14