Tee Higgins has officially made it to the NFL after the Cincinnati Bengals selected him with the first pick of the second round of the 2020 draft on Friday.
Higgins had a stellar career at Clemson. He was named first-team All-ACC in 2019 and was part of back-to-back trips to the national championship game, winning the title with the Tigers in 2018.
Along the way, the wideout recorded 2,448 receiving yards and 27 touchdowns in three years. That prompted him to forgo his senior year and head straight to the pros.
Bleacher Report's Matt Miller named Higgins the 28th-best prospect in the 2020 class and the fifth-best wideout overall.
The 6'4", 216-pound Tennessee native was compared to A.J. Green by NFL analyst Lance Zierlein, who thinks he'll be a mainstay on offense soon enough:
"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."
That bodes well for the Bengals as they look to add another crucial weapon.
QB - Joe Burrow, Andy Dalton, Ryan Finley
RB - Joe Mixon, Giovani Bernard
WR 1 - A.J. Green
WR 2 - Tyler Boyd/Tee Higgins
WR 3 - John Ross III
TE - C.J. Uzomah, Drew Sample
LT - Jonah Williams, Fred Johnson
LG - Billy Price, Michael Jordan
C - Trey Hopkins, Billy Price
RG - Xavier Su'a Filo, O'Shea Dugas
RT - Bobby Hart, Isaiah Prince
New Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow—the No. 1 overall pick Thursday—got another weapon in Higgins, who will have the benefit of learning from established pass-catchers such as A.J. Green and Tyler Boyd.
Head coach Zac Taylor's offense should have an embarrassment of riches if everyone stays healthy. Higgins may not see a huge volume of targets right away, especially with Green and Boyd on the roster.
But he should see the field plenty.
Consider him as a late-round flier to round out your bench.
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