The Iowa State WR has seen his stock explode as the pre-draft process continues and is seen as a high-round pick. Here is a 2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report and film analysis on Jayden Higgins.
Overview, Film Analysis, And 2025 Scouting Report Of Iowa State WR Jayden Higgins
Measurables:
- 6’3”
- 215 lbs
Player Background:
Jayden Higgins started his college career as a two-star commit to Eastern Kentucky in the 2021 class. He was ranked outside of the Top-450 WRs in the country but immediately shined at EKU. His freshman season saw him pick up 394 yards for three TDs on 29 grabs in nine games. He was an elite weapon for the team in 2022, snagging 58 passes for 757 yards and 10 scores in 12 contests.
He entered the transfer portal following the season, ending up at Iowa State. Despite not being ranked as a transfer, he was an instant impact player for the Cyclones. Higgins played in 13 games, narrowly missing out on the 1,000-yard mark. He finished the season with 983 yards and six TDs on 53 catches. His best season came the following year, tallying almost 1,200 yards and nine scores in 11 starts
Accolades:
- Honorable Mention All-Big 12 (2023)
- Third Team All-American (2024)
- Second Team All-Big 12 (2024)
Strengths/Pros:
Higgins’ physicality and ability to work through opposing contact easily makes him as effective as he is. He flows with contact and can carry his momentum to continue his designed route concepts. Despite being a larger vertical target, he sinks through his legs well and often uses it to get a step on outside corners. He knows when and where to sit down against zone coverage and makes himself readily available at all levels.
He shows flashes of advanced footwork on shorter comeback routes and will catch some defenders off guard. Higgins has solid hands away from his body, especially when fighting through physicality at the catch point. He’s a great red zone threat and he knows how to use his build to overpower DBs. He’s a deceptively twitchy ball carrier and contorts his body well to generate space. He sticks blocks well on the outside and helps to create some chunk boundary runs.
Weaknesses/Cons:
Higgins’ upper-half stiffness will be a big issue for him as a prospect. He labors through route cuts and struggles to maintain savviness on his routes. His feet are slow and predictable on most of his more complex route setups, giving DBs too much time to read and react. That issue extends to lateral cuts, decelerating too much and causing him to lose any early separation he created from his release.
There is way too much uncertain movement in his routes, and he needs to be much more intentional overall. Higgins lets his upper half drift too far in the opposite direction when cutting, limiting his acceleration. He doesn’t sell decoys and comebacks well, showing little high-end vertical acceleration in those schemed plays. He doesn’t have the straight-line speed to be a consistent deep threat either.
Potential Team Fits:
NFL Projection:
Higgins is a good player, that’s something that can’t be debated. The rising amount of Top-50 hype, however, can be. His movement skills need some work and much of his route-running prowess is built for isolated coverage rather than more complex NFL defenses. With that being said, he should be a solid outside option for a team needing physicality on their offense. He’s got the tools to make an impact but is more of a one-to-two tool player rather than a complete package.
Watch – 2025 Dynasty Wide Receiver Rankings
Prospect Grade:
- Late 3rd Round to Early 4th Round
Film Exposures:
- 2024 vs. Iowa
- 2024 vs. West Virginia
- 2024 vs. Kansas State
Main Photo Credit: Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images
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