Jayden Higgins WR Iowa State | NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report
Jayden Higgins WR Iowa State
NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report
| ROLE: Outside X-Receiver | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Updated: 02/21/2025 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Draft Year: 2025 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 40 time: 4.47 seconds (62%*) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowl Invite: Senior Bowl | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
SHARE THIS PROFILE:
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ROLE: Outside X-Receiver | |
| Last Updated: 02/21/2025 | |
| Draft Year: 2025 | |
| 40 time: 4.47 seconds (62%*) | |
| Bowl Invite: Senior Bowl | |
|
SHARE THIS PROFILE:
|
| Overall Rating: | 84.9 / 100 | |
|---|---|---|
| Average rating of opposition Defense player has faced | ||
| Defense Rating: |
|
76% |
| Click the links below to view how player ranks vs other prospects. | ||
| QB Rating When targeted: | 107.7 | |
| Hands: |
|
93% |
| Short Receiving: |
|
94% |
| Intermediate Routes: |
|
97% |
| Deep Threat: |
|
96% |
| Blocking: |
|
63% |
|
DRAFT PROJECTION:
2nd - Late
Overall Rank:
#67
Position rank:
#10
|
||
| College Games: 36 College Snaps: 1795 | ||
247 RATING: 76/100
|
||
| Player Comparison* (Similarity level) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Andrei Iosivas - Princeton |
|
86% |
| Rome Odunze - Washington |
|
75% |
| Xavier Hutchinson - Iowa State |
|
74% |
Draft Profile: Bio
Jayden Higgins the former 2-star recruit out of Westminster Christian School turned heads during his two-year stint at Eastern Kentucky, where he racked up 1,151 yards and 13 touchdowns before making the bold jump to Power 5 football. Standing 6'4" and weighing in at 217 pounds, Higgins brought his talents to Iowa State, where he would transform from an undervalued transfer into one of the Big 12's premier receiving threats.His impact at Iowa State was immediate and profound. In his first season with the Cyclones, Higgins averaged an eye-popping 18.5 yards per catch, the seventh-best single-season mark in school history. His Liberty Bowl performance against Memphis - a 214-yard masterclass - announced his arrival on the national stage. But it was his senior campaign that truly cemented his legacy, as he hauled in 87 receptions for 1,183 yards and nine touchdowns, earning Third Team All-American honors and establishing himself as one of the most reliable targets in college football.
What makes Higgins' rise particularly compelling is his development from a relatively unknown prospect into a complete receiver. Over his two seasons in Ames, he started 23 games, caught passes in all 26 appearances, and showcased remarkable consistency with 15 touchdown grabs. His partnership with teammate Jaylin Noel marked the first Big 12 receiving duo to each eclipse 1,000 yards since CeeDee Lamb and Hollywood Brown in 2018, speaking volumes about his ability to produce even when defenses knew the ball was coming his way.
Scouting Report: Strengths
- Exhibits exceptional body control and route tempo manipulation, consistently creating separation with subtle head fakes and shoulder dips at the stem of his routes.
- Boasts vacuum-like hands and outstanding ball tracking ability, demonstrated by his remarkable 93.1% hands grade and mere 3% career drop rate on 350 targets.
- Masterful at finding soft spots against zone coverage, showing veteran-like instincts to settle in windows and present a clean target for his quarterback.
- Possesses impressive catch radius thanks to his 79⅜" wingspan, routinely extending beyond his frame to snag passes others couldn't reach.
- Shows advanced understanding of defensive leverage, using his frame effectively to shield defenders on intermediate routes and back-shoulder throws.
- Demonstrates elite production consistency, evidenced by five 100+ yard games in 2024 and touchdown receptions in seven straight games.
- Displays surprising agility after the catch for his size, using subtle shifts and good contact balance to extend plays.
- Versatile alignment capability across X, Z, and slot positions, with football IQ to digest multiple route responsibilities.
Scouting Report: Weaknesses
- Straight-line speed limitations restrict his ability to consistently threaten defenses vertically, particularly against press-man coverage.
- Release package needs significant refinement, often struggling to cleanly disengage from physical corners in the contact window.
- Despite his frame, can appear passive in contested catch situations, allowing smaller defenders to disrupt at the catch point.
- Run blocking technique and aggression fall short of expectations for a receiver of his stature, limiting his three-down value.
- Long stride length can hinder his ability to quickly accelerate out of breaks, particularly on timing-based short routes.
Scouting Report: Summary
Don't let the stopwatch fool you - Higgins is a plug-and-play receiver whose game tape absolutely pops. While his forty might raise eyebrows, the film shows a savvy route runner who consistently creates separation and wins at all three levels. He's got that rare knack for getting open despite lacking elite speed, showing how technical mastery can trump pure athleticism.Teams looking for an immediate contributor will find a lot to love here. Higgins has proven he can win from multiple alignments, showing particular excellence on intermediate and deep routes where his combination of body control and ball skills shine. His production against Power 5 competition wasn't a fluke - this is a receiver who understands how to set up defenders and create throwing windows regardless of coverage.
Bottom line - Higgins projects as an immediate contributor who could develop into a reliable WR2 in the right system. His skill set will translate quickest to teams running multiple receiver sets where his route-running sophistication and consistent hands can be maximized. Don't get too caught up in the athletic testing - this is a football player who just knows how to get open and make plays.
Jayden Higgins percentiles vs other Wide Receivers (NFL Combine historically - higher value represents better perfomance)
How other scouting services rate Jayden Higgins (Overall Rank)
All Scouts AverageOverall Rank
60.4
All Scouts AveragePosition Rank
6.0
*Percentile Ranking in Player's Position Group (NFL Combine Historical Data): This percentile reflects how a player's specific statistics rank
in comparison to historical performances at the NFL Combine, specifically within their position group. A higher percentile indicates a better performance.
For instance, being in the 90th percentile for a particular stat means the player outperformed 90% of their peers in that category.
*Similarity Percentage: This percentage is calculated based on a comprehensive analysis of various factors, including height, weight, 40-yard dash times, on-field performance statistics, and overall player rating. The analysis is conducted against our database of draft prospects from 2021 to 2023. This similarity score helps in evaluating how closely a current prospect aligns with past prospects. It is important to note, however, that this score reflects similarities based on college production and attributes, and does not account for eventual success or performance in the NFL.
*Similarity Percentage: This percentage is calculated based on a comprehensive analysis of various factors, including height, weight, 40-yard dash times, on-field performance statistics, and overall player rating. The analysis is conducted against our database of draft prospects from 2021 to 2023. This similarity score helps in evaluating how closely a current prospect aligns with past prospects. It is important to note, however, that this score reflects similarities based on college production and attributes, and does not account for eventual success or performance in the NFL.