Jayden Higgins, Iowa State: 2025 NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report

Higgins was a two-star recruit from Westminster Christian School in Palmetto Bay, Fla. in the class of 2021

Iowa State wide receiver Jayden Higgins makes up for his lack of elite burst and speed with route running and technical savvy. He’s a possession receiver who moves the chains underneath or competes for contested fades downfield and in the red zone. Higgins received a third round grade in the 2025 NFL Draft.

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Jayden Higgins, WR Iowa State: 2025 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Senior wide receiver from South Miami, Fla.

Background: Higgins was a two-star recruit from Westminster Christian School in Palmetto Bay, Fla. in the class of 2021. He was a two-star recruit for 247Sports but didn’t receive a rating or grade out of 100 from Rivals, On3, or ESPN. Higgins transferred from Eastern Kentucky to Iowa State for the 2022 season. As a high school senior, he made 23 receptions for 430 yards and five touchdowns in five games. Higgins was an All-County selection as a junior when he caught 27 passes for 490 yards and four touchdowns. Higgins also lettered on the basketball team.

Injuries & Off-Field: N/A

Awards: 2022 Second Team All-Atlantic Sun (Phil Steele), 2023 Honorable Mention All-Big 12, 2023 Honorable Mention Big 12 Offensive Newcomer of the Year, 2024 Second Team All-Big 12, 2024 Third Team All-American

Pros: Experience in the slot and out wide, height advantage, arm length, smooth mover, footspeed in release, sudden diamond release helps him win early, some flashes of nice burst off the line, covers ground with long strides, creates leverage advantage for himself with how he stems routes, some suddenness to snapping off stem with quick footwork, sharp breaks off his vertical stems, natural separation on sharp cuts over MOF, quick deceleration and turn on comebacks and curls, nice flashes of physicality for mid-route separation (clubs and swims), slides in and finds space between defense’s second and third levels, takes what defenses give him underneath, chain mover, good shoulder and head fakes, sells stutter-goes and out-and-ups well, natural hands catcher, drops are rare, ball tracking, adjusts well to the ball, catch radius, playstyle draws DPIs downfield, physical and aggressive on stalk blocks, competitive blocker, replaces hands and positions body to protect ball carrier

Cons: Lacks significant special teams experience, lots of low ADOT throws, speed limits role and route tree, some one speed route running, doesn’t threaten off-man coverage, off-man defenders can squat on his routes, lacks speed to separate downfield, tall frame presents target vs. press, struggles to separate against man coverage, defenders recover and close separation after losing in press, some push offs and shoves are too obvious, not a twitchy or elusive athlete, limited YAC creator, reliance on contested catches on fades and in compressed field positions, some body catches in contested situations, doesn’t totally takeover contested catch opportunities, inconsistent at high-pointing the ball

Overview: Higgins has experience lining up out wide and in the slot. He could perform either role in the NFL, operating as a possession style X or a power slot. Higgins possesses a natural size advantage over defensive backs with his combination of height and arm length (33 1/8"). He’s a sudden mover in short areas because of his footspeed, which helps him execute various releases and win early in plays. Higgins suffers from some one-speed route running and limited downfield speed that prevents him from consistently threatening the defense at all three levels. However, he has some nice flashes of burst off the line and covers ground quickly with his long strides. Iowa State featured Higgins in a lot of low depth passing concepts because he lacks the speed to overtake off-man coverage and separate downfield. He’s inconsistent at separating against man coverage and presents defenders with a large target in press. The Florida native knows enough releases to occasionally win off the line cleanly, but defenders quickly recover and get back in phase. Higgins compensates for his lack of elite athletic traits with leverage manipulation and route running. He uses quick footwork to suddenly snap off his route at the top of the stem and separate. Despite his size, Higgins decelerates well on comebacks and curls. He gets physical with cornerbacks mid-route, using clubs and swims to establish positioning or bump the defender off their path. Some of these attacks are too obvious and will draw flags in the NFL. The All-American reads zone coverage well and finds holes to sit in between the defense’s second and third levels. He’s a consistent chain mover who takes what the defense gives him. Higgins uses good shoulder and head fakes and sells his stutter-goes and out-and-ups well. He’s a natural hands catcher with excellent ball tracking. He relies on contested catches but uses his large body and catch radius to generate consistent production on jump balls. Unfortunately, he’s never hauled in more than 58.3% of his contested targets in a season, which ranks far below some of the best contested catchers in the 2025 class. Higgins offers very little after the catch. He competes as a stalk blocker and should provide a consistent presence in this role.

Overall, Higgins is a tall possession receiver who wins with a combination of physicality, smooth route running, and flashes of surprising suddenness. He lacks the speed to threaten all areas of the field and generate separation against top end cornerbacks but uses his catch radius and body control to make plays while covered.

Role & Scheme Fit: Possession style X receiver

Round Projection: Mid Third to Early Fourth Round

Size: 6'4 1/8", 214 lbs. (NFL Combine)

Submitted: 01-07-25

Updated: 03-07-25