Scouting Profile: Jayden Higgins - WR - Iowa State
Sales Pitch: Big smart WR with excellent hands. Projects better versus zone than man due to some athletic limitations, but should be a quality inside-out target.
*Gold Numbers Indicate NCAA T-25 for 2024*
Scouting Report
Jayden Higgins is a former 2-Star recruit from the state of Florida. He spent his first two seasons at Eastern Kentucky, receiving All-Atlantic Sun honors in 2022, before transferring to Iowa State for the 2023 season. Higgins was a two-time All-Conference player during his time in Ames, with All-American honors to top it off in 2024.
Higgins a big long receiver with surprisingly fluid movement skills for his size. He checks in with 80th percentile or better measurements in terms of height, weight and length, all ideal for an outside receiver. Higgins is at his best as a route runner on underneath and intermediate in-breakers. He has a sharp one cut release style to get initial leverage and the size to box out defenders at the catch point. An experienced route runner, Higgins does a good job using his release angles and stems to manipulate coverages. He shows a strong collection of head fakes and jabs to attack off coverage defenders blind spots. Higgins shines as a pass catcher over the middle of the field. His large frame and good spatial awareness make him an dependable target against zone coverage. He has natural hands that attack the ball away from his frame. Higgins statistically rarely puts the ball on the ground, and excels in 50/50 situations. He uses his length and powerful frame to attack the ball at its apex and win through contact. Higgins is both a willing and capable blocker. He closes down on DBs with control in space and has the size to dig out linebackers.
Higgins tested extremely well at the combine, but doesn’t look as athletic on tape. He lacks the burst and long speed to consistently beat and stack press corners on the outside. His long strides can cover large stretches of field, but lack the juice to pull away in space. Higgins struggles to consistently separate from man coverage due to average lateral agility. If he cannot win off the line and use his size at the top of routes, DBs are able to stay attached in his hip pocket. Higgins lack of quickness really shows up after the catch. He put up some of the worst after the catch numbers on a per snap basis for any receiver in football in 2024. He lacks the speed or juice to make defenders miss in space and create chunk gains.
Higgins profiles as an X WR in 2-WR sets who slides to Power Slot in 3/4-WR sets. His ability to use his size and ball skills over the middle fits perfectly into offenses that like to attack in-between the hashes. Higgins struggles against man coverage might limit his ceiling, but good testing numbers and tape should make him a strong candidate to go top-50.