3 reasons Jayden Higgins is perfect Patriots fit in 2025 NFL Draft
04/24/2025 08:22 AM
Finally, after weeks and months of draft talk, the 2025 NFL Draft is here. The New England Patriots hold the No. 4 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, but their perfect target for the draft might be someone in play for their second-round pick in wide receiver Jayden Higgins.
Here are three reasons why Higgins is the perfect Patriots fit in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Jayden Higgins might have the best traits of any WR in 2025 draft
When it comes to draft time, a lot of the top wide receiver prospects seem to hit all the checkmarks but one. Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan, for instance, has a massive frame at 6-foot-4 and 219 pounds. His hand size is well above average for a receiver at 10 inches, which allowed him to make contested catches during his time at Arizona.
However, McMillan has a pretty big question mark: his speed. McMillan didn’t participate in drills at the combine, leading everyone to rely on a wide range of times he was clocked running the 40-yard dash at his pro day. One scout clocked his speed at 4.48 seconds, according to Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz. Other scouts, though, reportedly clocked McMillan’s 40 time in the mid-4.5 range.
Those aren’t concerns for Higgins. He was measured at a similar size as McMillan at the combine, standing at 6-4 and weighing 214 pounds. His 33 1/8-inch arm frame is well above average for his frame, too.
To add to his massive size, Higgins separated himself from the rest of the receivers at the combine. His 4.47 40 might not look impressive on paper, but when you couple that with his 39-inch vertical and 10-8 broad jump, he had a 9.85 relative athletic score (RAS). That was the fourth-best among wide receivers in this year’s class and the top mark among wideouts who are expected to be selected in the first couple of rounds of the draft.
Jayden Higgins was incredibly productive at Iowa State
Iowa State isn’t a factory for NFL players. It certainly hasn’t been a hotbed for NFL wide receivers, either. But that didn’t stop Higgins from producing during his time in Ames.
Higgins popped off in his first year with the Cyclones in 2023, recording 53 receptions for 983 yards and six touchdowns. He followed that up with 87 receptions for 1,183 yards and nine touchdowns this past season.
In terms of advanced metrics, Higgins grades out pretty well, too. Pro Football Focus graded him as the best wide receiver in all of college football with at least 100 targets last season. It also graded him as the eighth-best receiver against man coverage (min. 60 targets) as he had five touchdowns against man coverage last season. He wound up finishing with 25 receptions for 372 yards and five touchdowns against man coverage, only recording two drops all season long, regardless of coverage.
Jayden Higgins is an incredibly smooth route runner at 6'4 215lbs with excellent hands, physicality, and contested catch ability.
Has a little Nico Collins to his game pic.twitter.com/jliz8K5H1r
— NFL Draft Files (@NFL_DF) January 11, 2025
He’s the perfect fit for what the Patriots are missing at WR
Higgins’ production against man coverage is just one of the many reasons why he’s perfect fit for the Patriots’, but it’s the top reason why New England should try to select him in the 2025 NFL Draft. After the signing of Stefon Diggs, the Patriots’ wide receiver corps looks to be vastly improved from last season. However, they still lack a true X. Higgins’ production against man coverage, along with his aforementioned traits, make him an ideal boundary receiver at the next level.
Jayden Higgins is a full route tree player. CB worried about the back shoulder fade because he's big, so now he gets advantage to work back inside.
*A lot* more breaking route wins than expected. pic.twitter.com/71gG8GU6DC
— Hayden Winks (@HaydenWinks) March 4, 2025
More importantly, Higgins’ game fits what Drake Maye wants to do as a passer. As a rookie, Maye looked to push the ball down the field on numerous occasions, but he didn’t have the requisite talent at wide receiver around him to do so. With Higgins, Maye has more of a chance to find success. Higgins’ 58.3 percent contested catch rate was in the 75th percentile among all college football receivers last year, a strong number considering how often he was targeted on the outside.
So, with Travis Hunter unlikely to make his way down to No. 4, Higgins is the next best option for the Patriots to fill their hole at wide receiver in the 2025 NFL Draft.
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