Draft Analysis: Jayden Higgins

March 6, 2025 /
  • Height: 6’4″
  • Weight: 214 lb
  • College: Iowa State University
  • Tape watched: UCF, Iowa, Kansas, West Virginia, Arizona State
  • NFL Comparison: Cedric Tillman

Pros

  • Hands

The clubhouse leader for the Best Hands Award, Higgins has some special mitts. Jayden Higgins has only three credited drops in the last two seasons. He has smaller than average hands, but a wingspan to make up for it. He tracks the ball well over both shoulders and has great awareness on the sideline. He is more than adequate in contested catch situations, although he could benefit greatly from additional aggressiveness and physicality at the catch point.

  • Release

Jayden Higgins is polished in his ability to beat press technique. He has quick enough feet, but he really impresses with his purposeful footwork. He pairs his jab steps well with deceptive body language like head fakes and shoulder direction. Higgins uses his arms and hands adequately. He does a great job hiding his center mass from the punches of defensive backs.

  • Athleticism

A combine terror, Higgins pairs his elite size with elite explosiveness. He has enough long speed to stick in the NFL, although I do not think he plays to his 4.47s 40-yard dash, and he struggled to separate downfield at times. His vertical and broad jump were two of the best scores amongst the receiver group.

Midline

  • Route Running

Jayden Higgins reads zone coverage really well. He knows how far to push his depth to create advantageous throws for his quarterback. He has a nice drive off the line of scrimmage that holds defender depth on hitches.

Where Higgins leaves more to be desired is man coverage and route breaks. He often fails to separate on drags and vertical routes against man coverage. Higgins’ route breaks can become overwhelmed with extra steps and hips too high to change direction. His horizontal route breaks are usually speed turns in order to keep momentum. On square breaks, he can tip defenders and fail to move them off their coverage landmarks.

Higgins fails to lower his hips and snap back to the quarterback.
The corner never gets moved off his spot, resulting in him driving to the football and creating a takeaway. Higgins has to do something more to protect the inside throw.
Another really nice release from Higgins, but opting to take the inside track for this throw means he needs to keep the defender on his outside hip. Better body positioning and physicality at the top likely allows him to catch this ball.
A good example of Jayden Higgins creating separation at the top of his route with strength.
  • Play Strength

Jayden Higgins would benefit a lot from playing to his size and physically dominating defenders. There are times where he allows himself to be pushed to the sideline instead of holding his line. Defenders consistently stay on his hip because he doesn’t create space with his body. Blocking wise, he never drives defenders out of plays.

Cons

  • YAC

For someone of his size, Higgins just does not pick up extra yards after the catch. He will often opt to move horizontally for no gain, to avoid contact instead of falling forward for additional yards. He has poor lateral agility and does not create space after the catch.

  • Blocking

Jayden Higgins has a very nice stalking phase in his run blocking game. He is patient and has great body language. The good technique ends there, however. Higgins consistently fails to close the door off on defenders. He does not have a consistent drive phase either.

Overview

Jayden Higgins certainly helped his draft stock with his combine performance. With a Relative Athletic Score of 9.86, Higgins’ blend of size, speed, and explosive ability is hard to ignore. Higgins is a reliable target with steady hands.

The major question with Higgins is the route tree he can support, and if he can get open in the NFL. Teams will look to develop Higgins into a more polished route runner. Creating separation with his size and upper body strength will expedite that process. Recent NFL trends of “big slot” roles could play into a huge advantage for Higgins.