Tee Higgins to Join Joe Burrow in Cincinnati

Former Clemson receiver Tee Higgins was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals with the first pick of the second round of the 2020 NFL draft on Friday.

Former Clemson receiver Tee Higgins was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals with the first pick of the second round of the 2020 NFL draft on Friday. 

Higgins, the 33rd pick overall, grew up a Bengals fan as a kid and will be catching passes from LSU quarterback Joe Burrow, who Clemson lost to in the national championship and was taken No 1 overall Thursday night.

Last season, Higgins once again hauled in 59 passes, with 13 of those being touchdowns, and led the team with 1,167 yards, the fifth most in a season in team history.

He's the third Tiger selected after Isaiah Simmons and A.J. Terrell went in the first round. 

He was named first-team All-ACC and the MVP of the ACC Championship Game after posting 9 catches for 182 yards, and a school record-tying 3 touchdown catches.

He finished his three-year career at Clemson with 135 catches for 2,448 yards, with 27 touchdown catches. He leaves as the only player in school history to record double-digit touchdown receptions in consecutive seasons. 

As a freshman, Higgins got his feet wet, playing 179 snaps and hauling in 17 catches for 345 yards and two touchdowns.

He assumed a starting role in his sophomore season, starting all 15 games and leading the team with 59 catches and 12 touchdowns. He had 935 receiving yards and earned second-team All-ACC honors, as well as second-team AP All-ACC honors. 

He earned first-team all-conference honors from both ESPN and Pro Football Focus. 

Higgins came to Clemson via Oak Ridge High School in Tennessee and was the Tigers' highest-rated signee in 2017 according to ESPN, Scout, and 247 Sports. He was named Mr. Football in 2016 and 2017 at the AAAAA level in high school.

He chose Clemson over Tennessee, Alabama, Florida State, and Ohio State.

The Bengals are getting a receiver that is well versed in playing all three spots on the field and can be moved around to take advantage of matchups against cornerbacks. Higgins could evolve into a starting receiver rather quickly. 

"He plays the game with a great deal of passion and has everything you want in a receiver if you're Joe Burrow. He's a guy that can go up and make plays. He can get separation and has the ability to get away from those smaller corners. Head coach Zac Taylor has got to be loving life to go from where they were last year to pick up a quarterback and now get Higgins. This is a big couple of days already for the Bengals," ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit said. 

ESPN's David Pollack echoed those statements on the Oak Ridge, Tenn. native who leaves Clemson tied with former greats Sammy Watkins and Deandre Hopkins for the most career receiving touchdowns (27). 

"The thing I love about Tee Higgins is he has all the physical abilities. You talk to Dabo Swinney and those guys and they say he is a mamma's boy and just wants to play football. Good for him and now Joe Burrow has his no. 1 target."  

Strengths: Higgins has a long, angular frame and possesses elite body control and ball skills. His size makes him a dangerous deep threat and red zone threat. Higgins scored touchdowns on 20 percent of his catches at Clemson. He excels at using his long frame to his advantage.

Weaknesses: He'll need to work on the transition to NFL press corners and his press release. Lacks the physicality needed at the top of the route at times. The route tree he ran in college was fairly limited, and he needs more upper body strength to help with run blocking.