Who is the Dolphins rookie that faces the toughest NFL transition?
Elijah Higgins was given plenty of hints that tight end was in his future.
Most of the college teams that recruited the four-star prospect back in 2019 envisioned the Under Armour All-American becoming a tight end, but he was adamant about remaining a receiver, which is one of the reasons he chose Stanford over a number of the nation’s top football programs.
Then in the draft process Higgins admitted that 28 of the 32 NFL teams either worked him out as a tight end, or told him that’s where they see his future at.
The Miami Dolphins, which selected Higgins in the sixth round, were one of those teams, and have committed to making him the franchise’s latest, and maybe greatest receiver-to-tight end convert.
“I’ve been digging into that, learning different roles I’m not quite used to,” said Higgins, who admits he’s been watching a lot of George Kittle tape because the San Francisco 49ers Pro Bowl tight end was coached by Dolphins assistant head coach Jon Embree, and has textbook technique when it comes to blocking.
Blocking happens to be the biggest challenge every college tight end faces during their transition to the NFL. It's two-thirds of the role (running routes, pass blocking, run blocking), and oftentimes the reason why most rookie tight ends take a season or two to develop.
Some figure it out quicker than others, but usually their background, and utilization in college has plenty to do with how difficult, or easy the transition is.
“It’s funny, I know that was kind of the narrative that was built around me coming out of college, and for good reason because I didn’t have wild stats, and we ran the ball a lot at Notre Dame,” Durham Smythe said, referring to his reputation as an effective in-line blocker back when the Dolphins used a fourth-round pick to select him in the 2018 NFL draft. “But when I got to the NFL, I quickly realized that what I was good at in college, you’re not immediately good at in the NFL.”
According to Smythe, who has started 56 of the 79 games he’s played for the Dolphins, it took him “a full four or five years” to become comfortable with his blocking, and he’s viewed as one of the best in the league at that role.
So imagine the challenge a converted receiver will face.
“I’m willing to get in battles, willing to fight other defenders for position on the field and just body position in general,” said Higgins, who caught 119 passes for 1,380 yards and scored six touchdowns in his final three seasons with the Cardinals. “I would say I am aggressive, willing to block, willing to get my hands dirty, and I’m excited to take on that role.”
For now, the biggest challenge Higgins faces is learning Miami's playbook, and putting himself in position to compete with Tanner Conner, another receiver convert, for the flexed out, slot receiver role that Mike Gesicki held before signing with the New England Patriots this offseason.
Conner was so impressive during training camp his rookie season that Miami kept him on the 53-man roster last year instead of placing Idaho State standout on the practice squad. However, Conner received just 25 snaps on offense last season, and dropped two of the three passes thrown his way last season.
This summer he’ll be battling with Eric Saubert and Tyler Kroft, two veterans Miami signed this offseason to minimum salary deals, and Higgins for the two or three tight end spots behind Smythe.
And it’s logical to conclude that Higgins’ draft status, and possible upside, provides him an advantage.
"You see through his game tape that he’s a guy that strains with the ball in his hands,” head coach Mike McDaniel said about Higgins on the day he was drafted.
The first time McDaniel was part of a receiver transitioning to tight end was with Niles Paul, a Nebraska receiver Washington selected in the fifth round of the 2011 draft, and eventually converted to tight end.
Paul played seven seasons in the NFL, and started 27 games at receiver and tight end before his career concluded in 2018.
“This day [and] age, converting a receiver to a tight end isn’t as abstract as it used to be, only because half the teams are playing spread and [in] two-point [stances] anyway,” McDaniel said, referring to the college game. “Even if they’re called a tight end, they’re playing receiver [roles] anyway. So you get kind of used to projecting people to do things like [blocking], and we felt very comfortable and confident that [Higgins] fit the bill for that, so we’re excited to have him.”
Outside of learning the playbook, and the proper technique needed to make the receiver-to-tight end transition, Higgins said his goal this summer is to bulk up, adding some muscle to his 238-pound frame.
“I’m going to try to get to 240-245 range and see how it feels,” said Higgins, who ran a 4.54 40-time at the NFL Combine, and bench pressed 225 pounds 17 times at Stanford’s Pro Day. “If I’m able to maintain that and do what I’m doing right now at 238 I’m cool with that. If not, we have professionals here so I’m listening to them and seeing what they say about it.”
