Tee Higgins is one of the NFL's highest-graded rookie wide receivers
The Bengals selected Tee Higgins in the second-round (33rd overall) in the 2020 NFL Draft.
They loved his size, hands and catch radius. At 6-4, 215 pounds, Higgins is able to leap over opposing defensive backs and make touch catches in traffic.
Pro Football Focus loves the former Clemson star. He received a 90.5 grade from PFF, which is the second best score for a wide receiver in the entire draft class.
“(He has) excellent hands, a great catch radius," Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said after they drafted Higgins. "The consistency [is there] every single day, not just from game to game, but from practice to practice [in] talking with their [Clemson's] staff. He’s going to score points down the field. If the ball is in the air, it’s his. And he’s got that mentality where if he catches a ball on that short to intermediate stuff, he doesn’t think he’s going down — he’s going to score. That’s a trait that’s hard to coach."
Higgins, 21, was projected to be a first-round pick. He tested poorly at Clemson's pro day, running a 4.54 40-yard dash and a 1.66 10-yard split. Both tests hurt his stock and is a big reason why he was available at pick No. 33.
Higgins wasn't 100 percent during the pro day. He suffered a pulled groin, which prevented him from running at the combine.
Despite his lackluster pro day, the Bengals were ecstatic to draft Higgins with the first pick of the second-round.
Henry Ruggs, Jerry Jeudy, CeeDee Lamb, Jalen Reagor, Justin Jefferson and Brandon Aiyuk were the six wide receivers taken ahead of Higgins.
The Colts used the No. 34 pick on USC's Michael Pittman Jr.
Higgins' PFF grade was higher than all of those players. He finished his three-year college career with 135 receptions, 2,448 receiving yards and 27 touchdowns.
