Packers draft profile: Clemson WR Tee Higgins

After a 13-3 regular season and a trip to the NFC championship game, the Green Bay Packers still have a few holes to fill on their roster if they want to improve in 2020.

Green Bay is set to pick at No. 30 in the 2020 NFL draft, so it will have to wait a bit before making its first selection.

In this “Packers draft profile” series, we will look at several options for Packers in the first round and dissect their collegiate careers, highlight reels and how they would fit with the team.

In this edition we look at Clemson University wide receiver Tee Higgins.

OVERVIEW

Higgins was rated a five-star recruit and the No. 2 wide receiver in the 2017 class by 247 Sports coming out of Oak Ridge High School in Oak Ridge, Tenn. He continued his football career at Clemson and recorded 17 catches for 345 yards and two touchdowns his freshman season.

The 6-foot-4 receiver made a huge jump in his sophomore year. Higgins had 59 receptions for 936 yards and 12 scores in 2018 and helped Clemson in its 44-16 win over Alabama in the national championship game with three catches for 81 yards and a touchdown. In his junior year in 2019, he had 59 catches for the second consecutive season, finishing with 1,167 yards and 13 TDs.

MEASURABLES

FILM ROOM

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING

“Long, tall and athletic. Long arms (34 1/8 inches) and terrific wingspan (81 inches). Basketball background shows up in his play — attacks 50-50 balls like a rebounder at the rim. Boxes out and positions his body exceptionally well to shield off defenders.

Highlight-reel receiver — hauled in some showcase grabs the past two seasons. Dynamic ball skills all over his highlight reel. Really nice reflexes and hand-eye coordination. Great catch radius — highpoints the ball well and hauls in passes beyond his frame. Quick-twitch ability to adjust to off-target throws.” — Yahoo.com

“One of the biggest strengths for Higgins is his ability to win the contested throws. He has soft hands that allows him to bring in almost any throw and catches outside of his frame pose no problems for Higgins. Uses his height and length well when going up for the ball, high points it well. Most contested catches are 50/50 but for him its more like 80/20. Great body control when in flight.

“He provides position flexibility in that he can play from all three wide receiver spots on the field. His long speed can cause fits for defenders when he gets behind the defense. Really does well in tracking the ball on deep throws.” – Draft Wire (USA Today)

“Long, angular frame with cheat-code body control and ball skills when attacking downfield. Higgins is leggy getting off of the press, but those same leggy strides are weapons of separation that help create big plays. He’s played all three receiver spots and can be moved around to match up against cornerbacks. His size and “above the rim” talent make him a uniquely dangerous playmaker deep and in the red zone. The transition to NFL press corners will be an early challenge that could take some time to solve, but he’s an instinctive ball-winner whose traits should win out and make him a very good NFL starter.”  – NFL.com

HOW HE FITS

Wide receiver is a position of need for the Packers and Higgins could be an ideal player to pair with Davante Adams. Higgins’ ability to win jump balls, track the ball downfield and break open-field tackles could make him a dangerous target for Aaron Rodgers.