Perhaps no receiver has been a bigger victim of the pre-draft process than Clemson wide receiver Tee Higgins.
Proven production against elite competition? Check
Size to be a No. 1 receiver on the outside? Check
Large catch radius? Check
Big-play threat? Check
Prime chance for the Eagles to find a No. 1 receiver for Carson Wentz? Check.
Higgins, 6-foot-4, 219 pounds with long arms, can do it all and is much more than the 4.57 40-time he turned in at the 2020 NFL Combine. As the 2020 NFL Draft inches closer with other, less talented receivers flying up draft boards, Higgins might be the Eagles best chance at adding a Julio-Jones-like receiver for Wentz to develop with, much like Atlanta did for Matt Ryan years ago.
That isn't to say Higgins is the same level of prospect as Jones, but what he does represent — which receivers like Henry Ruggs, KJ Hamler, Justin Jefferson and Jalen Reagor don't — is the chance to be an elite, do-it-all receiver on the outside.
To start, Higgins has dominated every level of football he has played at and was the best receiver on one of the best two teams in college football the last two seasons. Going up against elite competition over the last two seasons, Higgins totaled 25 touchdowns and 2,103 yards on 118 catches. Not many, if any, receivers enter the draft with Higgins' resume.
It is also important to note that Higgins production has come on the outside as the team's No. 1 receiver. LSU's Justin Jefferson is an elite-level prospect as well, but most of his success in college came in the slot, an area of the field currently occupied in the Eagles' offense by Zach Ertz. Jefferson projects to be able to play on the outside, and could still see time in the slot in Philadelphia, but he was not as successful in 2018 when he played on the outside. Higgins, on the other hand, would slide in perfectly as the Eagles' top option on the outside, allowing both Ertz and Dallas Goedert to continue to work the middle of the field.
The idea that Higgins is slow is simply not true. While he doesn't have the elite speed Ruggs does, Higgins averaged 19.8 yards-per-catch last season, which is 1.2 yards more than Ruggs averaged. He won't stretch defenses just by being on the field the way Ruggs or Hamler will, but he is quick off the line of scrimmage and knows how to use his big-body to win deep, which will eventually force defenses to shade a safety towards his side.
Higgnis is also extremely dangerous with the ball in his hands, as evident by this end-around he took in for a touchdown against LSU.
Tee Higgins is the most underrated receiver in this year's draft #Eagles pic.twitter.com/v7XpzShYG5
— Eliot Shorr-Parks (@EliotShorrParks) April 13, 2020For all of the unfair comparisons he can gotten to Alshon Jeffery or J.J. Arecega-Whiteside, that is not a play either would be able to make.
Like Jeffery, however, Higgins does bring a big catch radius, and it showed during his time at Clemson when an inaccurate pass came his way:
Tee Higgins -- pic.twitter.com/18cTnPvYcU
— Eliot Shorr-Parks (@EliotShorrParks) April 13, 2020Higgins' catch radius, height and long arms will make him an immediate threat in the red zone, something the Eagles will need on the outside with Alshon Jeffery unlikely to play any meaningful snaps and DeSean Jackson not as effective inside 20 yards. With Higgins, Ertz and Goedert, the Eagles would be able to lineup three legitimate red-zone threats.
With an ability to make plays down the field, line up on the outside against bigger corners, solid hands and a track record of being an impact player at every level of the field, Higgins has the potential to be the No. 1, do-it-all receiver the Eagles desperately need, and the player that Wentz needs on the outside as he continues to develop.
As the rest of the NFL appears to overlook one of the best receivers in the draft, the Eagles should pounce if they get the chance to add Higgins to their roster.
You can follow Eliot Shorr-Parks on Twitter at @EliotShorrParks or email him at esp@94wip.com!
