Patriots draft profile: Jayden Higgins has the makings of a starting X-receiver

The Iowa State product projects as a second-round selection in this year’s draft.

The New England Patriots did spend some of their vast free agency resources at wide receiver, bringing in veterans Stefon Diggs and Mack Hollins to bolster a group that largely underperformed in 2024. They may not be done adding players to the mix, though.

With the draft coming up, the Patriots very much appear to be in the market for more receiver help. If that is indeed the case, there are several suitable players available including one of the most athletically-intriguing wideouts available: projected Day 2 pick Jayden Higgins out of Iowa State.

Hard facts

Name: Jayden Higgins

Position: Wide receiver

School: Iowa State

Opening day age: 22 (12/15/2002)

Measurements: 6’4 1/8”, 214 lbs, 80” wingspan, 33 1/8” arm length, 9 1/8” hand size, 4.47s 40-yard dash, 7.05s 3-cone drill, 4.28s short shuttle, 39” vertical jump, 10’8” broad jump, 16 bench press reps, 9.63 Relative Athletic Score

Experience

Colleges: Eastern Kentucky (2021-22), Iowa State (2023-24)

Career statistics: 48 games (41 starts) | 2,431 defensive snaps, 13 special teams snaps | 350 targets, 227 catches (64.9%), 3,317 receiving yards, 28 TDs | 7 drops (2%), 1 fumble

Accolades: Third-team All-American (2024), Second-team All-Big 12 (2024), Honorable mention All-Big 12 (2023), First-team All-ASUN (2022)

Playing both football and basketball during his high school career in the Miami metro area, Higgins generated little buzz as a two-star recruit. He ended up joining Eastern Kentucky, where he spent two seasons and caught 87 passes for 1,151 yards and 13 touchdowns in 22 games with 18 starts. His success with the Colonels prompted him to enter the transfer portal in hopes of finally getting some love from FBS schools.

That did indeed happen, and he ended up choosing Iowa State over other offers including Minnesota, Northwestern or Troy. Over his two years at the school, Higgins started 23 of his 26 games and was on the receiving end of 140 passes that he took for 2,166 yards and 15 touchdowns.

Draft profile

Expected round: 2 | Consensus big board: No. 49 | Patriots meeting: Senior Bowl

Strengths: You look at Jayden Higgins, you see an NFL outside receiver. Standing at over 6-foot-4 (94 percentile) with an 80-inch wingspan (91 percentile), he has the size and length teams are looking for. He combines it with an intriguing skillset that should translate well to the next level.

Higgins may not be the most explosive player out of his stance, but his build-up speed, long stride and efficient movements allow him to cover vast stretches of the field in a hurry. He combines all that with active feet, which in turn enable him to run routes the way they are supposed to be run and to experiment with different releases and fakes to increase his chances of getting open; even if he does not create yards of separation, though, Higgins has shown he can bring in the ball no problem.

Higgins offers some impressive body control. This does not only show up in his routes, but also in his ability to win at the catch point. He turns around quickly and locates the ball well, and has the ability and physicality to make just about every catch an NFL-caliber wideout is expected to make: back-shoulder, jump ball, you name it — Higgins’ combination of size and catch radius, concentration and natural hands make for an attractive receiving option regardless of situation, call or coverage.

While mostly used as a perimeter target in college, Higgins also has some experience lining up in the slot. He additionally is a competitive blocker in the run game who offers the necessary tenacity to sustain blocks beyond initial contact.

Weaknesses: Higgins is not the most explosive player out of his stance and his 61-percentile 40 time suggests he will not be an every-down vertical field stretcher. His fairly average acceleration and quickness also mean that Higgins will not shake free from press-man cornerbacks easily, and has to rely on his still-developing release package to win. In general, there have been times he has been moved off his routes by physical coverage.

He also is not the most dangerous player with the ball in his hands, averaging only 4.5 yards after catch over the course of his college career. Some of it has to do with his work on the boundary, which eliminates one side to gain extra yards, but his short-area quickness also makes him not particularly well-suited to break tackles on the regular. He forced only 33 missed tackles on 227 career catches.

Patriots preview

What would be his role? A big-bodied wide receiver with a proven track record of winning contested catches, Higgins has the makings of a starting X-receiver at the next level. He would play just that role in New England as well, competing with the likes of Mack Hollins and Javon Baker for top-level reps from early on in his career.

What is his growth potential? Higgins has some limitations, but he is still a player on the up who offers long-term potential as a perimeter receiver. Once he becomes more experienced in how to apply his physical skills to his advantage against pro-level competition, he can be a three-down presence on the outside of an offense.

Does he have positional versatility? As noted above, Higgins was mostly used as a perimeter target in college but also was moved to the slot on occasion (83-17 split). His usage in the NFL would likely be similar. The same is true for his special teams role, which was effectively non-existent at both Eastern Kentucky and Iowa State.

Why the Patriots? By now you probably know that the Patriots have room for improvement at the X-receiver spot. Higgins is one of several players in this year’s draft who could help out in that regard, but when it comes to overall body of work — skillset plus college usage plus production — he looks like a cleaner projection than the likes of fellow second-tier WR prospects such as Tre Harris, Elic Ayomanor or Dont’e Thornton Jr.

Why not the Patriots? Higgins’ lack of elite deep speed and YAC ability might not be what the Patriots are looking for within their new-look offense. Additionally, the board might fall in a way that will prevent him from coming to New England: the 38th overall pick might simply be spent on another position, with the three wideouts mentioned above — Harris, Ayomanor, Thornton Jr. — preferable targets later on Day 2 or early on Day 3.

One-sentence verdict: Given his sure hands, length, and ability to win contested catches, Higgins would be a quarterback-friendly addition to the Patriots’ offense.

What do you think about Jayden Higgins as a potential Patriots target? Please head down to the comment section to share your thoughts.