Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Draft Prospect Profile | WR Tee Higgins, Clemson
TEE HIGGINS
Height: 6-foot 4
Weight: 215 lbs
Grade: Junior
School: Clemson
Tee Higgins is a wide receiver, originally from Oak Ridge, Tennessee. He attended Oak Ridge High School and was a five-star recruit.
According to clemsontigers.com, Higgins had 68 receptions for 1,044 yards and 18 touchdowns during his senior season in high school. Rivals had him ranked as the No. 2 wide receiver prospect in the nation, and the No.1 overall prospect in Tennessee in the 2017 recruiting class.
Higgins initially committed to play college football in his home state, at the University of Tennessee. However, he eventually decided to de-commit to Tennessee, and instead ended up choosing to play for Clemson.
Although he was a highly-touted prospect coming out of high school, Higgins did not start for Clemson during his freshman season. The Sports Communication major played in 13 games in 2017 and had 17 receptions for 345 yards and two touchdowns. He did not play during Clemson’s 24-6 loss to Alabama in the 2018 Sugar Bowl.
Higgins got the chance to start in 2018, and had 59 catches for a total of 936 yards and 12 touchdowns, averaging 15.9 yards per reception. Higgins’ best game of that season came late in the year against South Carolina when he caught six passes for 142 yards and a touchdown.
Following this solid season, he was named to the Second-Team All-ACC. Higgins was a big part of Clemson’s offense during their run in the 2018-19 College Football Playoffs. He had four catches for 53 yards and a touchdown during Clemson’s 30-3 win against Notre Dame in the 2018 Cotton Bowl. He then had three receptions for 81 yards and a touchdown in the 2019 National Championship Game, as his team topped Alabama 44-16.
Higgins is entering the NFL Draft coming off a stellar junior campaign in which he had 59 receptions for 1,167 yards and 13 touchdowns in 15 games played. He had nine catches for 182 yards and three touchdowns in the ACC Championship Game against Virginia. Higgins was a First-Team All-ACC selection for 2019.
He was not much of a factor during Clemson’s 29-23 win over Ohio State in the 2019 Fiesta Bowl, reeling in four passes for a total of just 33 yards. LSU’s defense was able to mostly contain Higgins in the 2020 National Championship Game, as he had only three catches for 52 yards. However, Higgins did have a 36-yard rushing touchdown in the game.
This draft class has plenty of good options at the wide receiver position, including CeeDee Lamb, Jerry Jeudy, Laviska Shenault, and Henry Ruggs. Higgins has as much upside as any of these four guys--he has the size, speed, and pass-catching ability necessary to be a No. 1 receiver in the NFL.
Why He’s a Fit
The Giants have plenty of offensive weapons right now, but the one thing they are lacking is a true No. 1 wide receiver. It’s been nearly a year since Giants’ general manager Dave Gettleman decided to trade Odell Beckham Jr. to the Cleveland Browns.
Gettleman signed Golden Tate last offseason, but he was not able to fill the hole left by Beckham’s departure. Tate had 49 catches for 676 yards and six touchdowns in 11 games played.
Darius Slayton had a significant impact on the Giants’ offense in his rookie season, as he led the team in receiving yards with 740. Sterling Shepard had a team-high 57 receptions, although he played in just ten games.
As talented as he is, injuries have been a problem for Shepard in two of his first four seasons in the NFL. What Gettleman needs to do this off-season is to find someone who can be Daniel Jones’ top option to throw to in 2020. Higgins has the skill set necessary to be that guy.
It would be interesting to see what new Giants’ offensive coordinator Jason Garrett could do with Higgins as his No. 1 receiver. Throughout his tenure as the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys, Garrett had plenty of success calling plays involving Dez Bryant, and more recently, Amari Cooper.
Should the Giants draft Higgins, the Giants’ receiving corps in 2020 would include him, Slayton, Shepard, Tate, and tight ends Evan Engram and Kaden Smith. With all of these receiving targets as well as Saquon Barkley as his running back, Jones would be in prime position to have a breakout season.
