Ravens Undrafted All-American Looking To Prove NFL Wrong

Not everyone hears their name called on draft day. That was the case for former Iowa linebacker Jay Higgins, who went undrafted despite incredible production with the Hawkeyes. The All-American led the Big Ten in solo tackles (71), which was less than his insane 2023 season where he racked up 92 solo tackles and 171 overall. Over the last two seasons, Higgins put up 295 tackles in Iowa. However, a slow 40-time and being shorter than the average linebacker saw him fall out of the NFL Draft altogether.

With rookie minicamp having begun for the Baltimore Ravens, Higgins is happy to be in a place that wanted him.

"Extremely happy to be here," Higgins said. "Obviously, the draft day, all three days, didn't go as planned, but super fortunate to have the opportunity to come to Baltimore with so much defensive history. The linebackers that play here, that played here in the past, I think it's a good fit for me. Just how I operate, my mindset, and how they operate defensively. So I think we're a good match, and I'm kind of happy things turned out the way they did."

Even though Higgins didn't hear his name called, he notes that everyone is in the same boat at rookie minicamp.

"When you report to minicamp, you start from ground zero," Higgins said. "For the guys who got drafted, who had good college careers, the moment they stepped out on the field, it's fair game. Being an undrafted free agent, I understand that. I know I got to go in, prove things. Nothing's going to be given to me."

Should Higgins prove himself worthy of a roster spot over the next number of weeks, Baltimore will be getting a young, hungry defender who made a living finding ball carriers and putting them on the ground at the highest level of college football. He could end up being one of the bigger steals in this entire class.

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