Tee Higgins Declares For The 2020 NFL Draft

Dynasty, Rookie / By

Heading into the 2020 National Championship game, many of the players we wanted to declare did so already. We were just waiting on Chuba Hubbard, Najee Harris, and the guys who were playing in the title game. The 2020 class took major blows when Chuba announced his return to school and reports came out about Najee returning. It recovered in a big way when Clemson wide receiver Tee Higgins announced his declaration for the 2020 NFL Draft. Tee Higgins enters the pre-draft process as a tier-two wide receiver and my WR5.

High School

Tee Higgins grew up in Oak Ridge, TN where he attended Oak Ridge High School. Higgins excelled during his time playing high school football. Per 24/7 Sports, Higgins had a composite score of 0.9900, making him a five-star recruit. As the second-ranked WR and 19th player nationally, Tee could choose from any college in the nation. After initially committing to Tennessee, Higgins decided that was not his best option by reopening his recruitment. He eventually found the right home for when he committed to the Clemson Tigers. Considering the paths the two teams took since then, he’s likely ecstatic with his decision.

Tee Higgins didn’t just excel on the gridiron. Along with being a five-star football recruit, Higgins was a baller on the basketball court. Higgins received scholarship offers from multiple well-known programs including the Louisville Cardinals. It couldn’t have been busy to step away from basketball, but his football potential was too high. Besides making the Under Armor All-American Game and USA All-American Second Team, Higgins was honored with winning Mr. Football Tennessee for class 5A twice.

College Statistics

 

At first glance, I could see why someone would be discouraged by Higgins’ freshman season. An overall receiving line of 17-345-2 isn’t particularly impressive, even for a freshman. For starters, Higgins only played in seven games in his freshman season. Additionally, Higgins played with two NFL wide receivers, albeit they were both drafted late. To top it off, he played with Kelly Bryant. Bryant is a fine starting quarterback for a college team, but he lacks the talent of the quarterback before him—Deshaun Watson—and the guy who replaced him—Trevor Lawrence.

Trevor appeared in the first few games, looking as good as advertised out of college. When Lawrence took over as the starter, the Clemson offense was fully unleashed. Blessed with a quarterback who could attack vertically, Higgins posted a 59-936-12 receiving line. Higgins’ size allowed him to be a touchdown machine, scoring one every 4.92 receptions. He posted a dominator rating greater than 20% meaning he had a breakout season, making his breakout age 19.7. Breakout age is one of the best methods for dynasty owners to use to predict future success.  

Higgins found a way to improve his ridiculous touchdown rate from last year. He scored a touchdown every 4.54 receptions while accruing more yards per receptions (15.9 ypr in 2018, 19.8 ypr in 2019). According to playerprofiler, Tee Higgins’ yards per reception in his final season ranks in the 93rd percentile of yards per reception. The metric profile of Higgins suggests a successful NFL career, and the film agrees.

Film Breakdown

This first play comes from Higgins’ freshman season. Higgins is lined up to the outside and runs a simple vertical route. Higgins’ ability to track a ball is clear on this play. He does a fantastic job of finding the ball and keeping his eyes on it the whole time. While he’s looking for the ball, he’s hand fighting with the corner. He uses his length to keep the corner far away from the ball. Higgins makes a nice one-handed catch along the sideline. He finishes the play by outrunning the defender to the endzone. I love this play from Higgins. His ball skills are on display on this play. The combination of tracking the ball while engaging with his defender shows off his concentration and coordination. It’s clear why his yards per reception is as high as it.

This next play comes from Higgins’ sophomore season. Once again, Higgins runs a simple vertical route. Also once again, Higgins does an incredible job at tracking the ball. Trevor puts the ball in a place where the corner doesn’t have a chance at making a play. Higgins’ catch radius is on display in this play. His big frame and strong hands easily allow him to make the play on this ball. Once he catches the ball, he is forced to put a spin move on the help defender. He barely outruns the defense, getting tackled in the endzone. Higgins has a very impressive vertical skillset. He displays high levels of concentration that allow him to continuously make plays downfield. 

This last example comes from Higgins’ junior year. Higgins does receive some criticism for his lack of route tree and refinement, and rightfully so, but he shows a little of both on this play. Higgins turns his body and his head inward, selling the post route. When the corner bites, he immediately plants his foot and finishes his corner route. He does a fantastic job of manipulating the corner by selling the post route well. If Higgins can continue to refine his game and learn to win by manipulating the defense, he will be a nightmare for defensive coordinators. 

Conclusion

Tee Higgins is one of the best vertical options in this draft class. While he lacks the speed of guys like Reagor and Ruggs, his ball tracking, coordination, concentration, and catch radius allow him to dominate downfield. Higgins is one of my favorite wide receivers in this draft class. I would draft him in the late first-round of dynasty rookie drafts. 

What do you think of Tee Higgins? How do you think his play will translate to the NFL? Let me know on Twitter at @DFF_Steven. 

Related Posts