Bengals Select Tee Higgins with No.33 pick in NFL Draft

Cincinnati Bengals secure Tee Higgins to round out their future with QB Joe Burrow

Sports Illustrated | Apr 24, 2020

The Cincinnati Bengals selected WR Tee Higgins with the No. 33 pick of the 2020 NFL Draft. Raised in Tennessee, Higgins attended Oak Ridge High School in Oak Ridge, TN. Garnering a lot of attention as a five-star recruit, Higgins hauled in 68 catches for 1,044 yards and 18 TD as a senior with the Wildcats. After originally committing to remain in his home state by attending the University of Tennessee, Higgins changed his plan and enrolled at Clemson instead.

Higgins follows former Clemson stars DeAndre Hopkins, Sammy Watkins and Mike Williams into the NFL. At 6-foot-4 and 216 pounds, Higgins has excellent ball skills, body control and can catch just about anything. Couple that with his long strides and he becomes a dynamic downfield threat, especially against undersized corners. Higgins deserves plenty of red-zone looks and, even as a rookie, can become a go-to guy in that area of the field. He scored a touchdown on 20% of his catches in college.

Improving, during each of his three seasons, Higgins posted career highs with 1,167 receiving yards and 13 TD during his senior year with the Tigers. Prior to the virtual draft proceedings, William Hill sportsbook set Higgins’ over/under at 32.5 on their draft position prop offer. He was ranked just below the “Big Four” receiver group that included Jerry Jeudy, CeeDee Lamb, Henry Ruggs III and Justin Jefferson. Higgins racked up 2,103 yards, 25 TD and averaged 17.8 yards per catch during his final two college seasons.

Here’s why SI’s Kevin Hanson ranked Higgins as the No. 34 overall player on his big board:

Higgins has a large catch radius, high points the football well and wins as a vertical receiver. He ended his collegiate career tied with DeAndre Hopkins and Sammy Watkins for the most receiving touchdowns (27) in Clemson history.

2019 stats (Junior; Oklahoma): 1,167 receiving yards, 13 touchdowns (15 games)

2018 stats (Sophomore; Oklahoma): 936 receiving yards, 12 touchdowns (15 games)

2017 stats (Freshman; Oklahoma): 345 receiving yards, 2 touchdowns (7 games)

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Published Apr 24, 2020