Buffalo Bills select Clemson WR Tee Higgins in USA Today 2020 NFL Draft mock.
It was short, sweet and to the point, but USA Today thinks the Buffalo Bills could be picking Clemson wide receiver Tee Higgins at the 2020 NFL Draft.
Like Bills observers, USA Today sees the Bills’ passing attack exactly as it is when describing the selection:
22. Buffalo Bills – Tee Higgins, WR, Clemson: This offense has the slot guy (Cole Beasley) and the speed guy (Smokey Brown) but could really use the big guy – Higgins is 6-4, 215 – to help provide sometimes scattershot QB Josh Allen a target with a large catch radius.
Also like fans of the Bills, this mock draft sees the Eagles as potentially a problem for the Bills. Like Buffalo, Philadelphia could use a receiver, too. With their pick right before the Bills, another popular selection for the Bills, Colorado wideout Laviska Shenault, is drafted by the Eagles.
Interestingly, the Bills don’t let the run of receivers taken before them scare them away from taking their man in this mock. In total, six are off the board before Buffalo picks, which could help push other talent down the board. Instead, the Bills stick to their WR need here and go with the big-bodied target that their offense didn’t have last season. Adding such a target could help Allen improve his deep-ball accuracy, the most concerning aspect of his game in 2019.
Buffalo Bills select WR Justin Jefferson in Pro Football Focus’ post-combine mock draft.
In Pro Football Focus’ pre-combine mock draft, the Bills take the fifth wide receiver in the first round. In that slate of guesses, it’s Clemson’s Tee Higgins.
This time around following the combine, it’s a new wideout, one that turned some heads at the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine, LSU’s Justin Jefferson.
Here’s the pick breakdown:
Jefferson ticked every box in Indy with a 4.43 40, 37.5-inch vertical and 10-foot-6 broad jump. That’s a plus athlete for the position. Jefferson’s absurd 12-of-13 contested-catch conversions last season will pair nicely with Josh Allen.
Heading into the combine, Jefferson had some solid size at 6-foot-1, great running skills, and then some good hands. Those numbers PFF mentioned have put Jefferson right in the Bills’ wheelhouse in the first round of the draft when previously he was thought of as a late first, early second-round pick.
In PFF’s mock, an interesting receiver is actually picked by the Eagles at pick No. 21, right ahead of Buffalo’s selection. Their pick is TCU’s Jalen Reagor. That allows Jefferson to fall to Buffalo, who also have a pick of the litter in Colorado’s Laviska Shenault, Baylor’s Denzel Mims and even Higgins.
The faction of Bills observers wanting a playmaker for Allen should love this mock draft. Jefferson had 111 catches in 15 games for 1,540 yards and 18 scores for the eventual national champs.
2020 NFL Mock Drafts following the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine from Bills Wire staff.
The 2020 NFL Scouting Combine concluded with some stellar performances both on and off the field. The amateur extravaganza has caused some names to rise on draft boards while other players created more questions about their respective futures.
Based on these evaluations, the Bills Wire staff has determined some interesting possibilities for Buffalo’s selections during the upcoming draft. Editor Nick Wojton, along with staff writers Justin DiLoro, McKenna Middlebrook, Kyle Silagyi, and Matt Johnson, have all played the role of Bills general manager Brandon Beane.
Here is Bills Wire’s post-combine, four-round mock draft below:
Round 1: Buffalo Bills | pick No. 22
Clemson Tigers wide receiver Tee Higgins, Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Nick’s Pick:
WR Justin Jefferson, LSU
This pick is not going to be cemented until the dust has settled after free agency. Do the Bills add some pass-rushing help there? What about a top wideout? That will clearly dictate things but the overlying truth is the Bills have lacked a true wide receiver prospect for the entirety of Sean McDermott and Beane’s time with the club. Zay Jones was a flop. That needs to be addressed and this is the deepest playmaker class the duo is going to see. Jefferson, at 6-foot-1, isn’t the massively large target some Bills observers had in mind. But he’s a great route runner and at the combine, showed he has speed, running a 4.43 40-yard dash time. Oh, and his hands? He had 111 catches, 1,540 yards and 18 touchdowns… just last season alone. For what it’s worth, the Bills did meet with Jefferson at the combine as well.
Justin’s Pick:
WR Tee Higgins, Clemson
Let’s not mess around here. The Bills are in need of a playmaker at the wide receiver position, and Higgins looks to be the best fit at this point in the draft. It’s no secret that the draft is deep at the receiver position. However, Buffalo should take the best player who can give quarterback Josh Allen a dynamic playmaker out wide. Higgins, along with incumbents John Brown and Cole Beasley, help create a solid starting trio. Higgins averaged a stellar 19.8 yards per catch this past year. He’s the type of receiver that can aid in Allen finding his mojo with respect to the deep ball. At 6-foot-4, the Clemson product gives the Bills a large target who can complete in contested catches. He has experience at all receiver positions, runs a full route tree, and wins battles against corners. Oh, and Lance Zierlein’s NFL comparison for Higgins? AJ Green. Let’s not overthink this one.
McKenna’s Pick:
EDGE Yetur Gross-Matos, Penn State
The Buffalo Bills have two areas of concern heading into the 2020 draft, wide receiver and edge rusher. With a loaded wide receiver class, the Buffalo Bills can find receiver talent in later rounds. Gross-Matos recorded 18.5 sacks at Penn State, during his three-year career at Penn State. Standing at 6-6-foot-5, he uses his length and speed to reach the opposing quarterback. Gross-Matos also comes from a 4-3 defense in college, so he’ll fit in with McDermott’s dominant defense.
Kyle’s Pick:
DE A.J. Epenesa, Iowa
Yes, wide receiver is undeniably Buffalo’s biggest need at this point in time. With that being said, there’s likely not a wideout who is worth selecting at No. 22 if Jerry Jeudy, Ceedee Lamb, and Henry Ruggs are off the board, this due in large part to the depth of this year’s receiving class. Let’s instead allow the Bills to make a luxury pick, this coming in the form of Epenesa. Buffalo is in need of a young and potentially dominant player at defensive end, and Epenesa, the 6-foot-5 pass rusher who tallied 26.5 sacks throughout his collegiate career, certainly fits the bill. He’s a tenacious defender who typically wins with strength, something he did often throughout college. He’d be a tremendous rotational piece in his rookie season, learning from the likes of Jerry Hughes and (potentially) Trent Murphy before taking over as a full-time starter in 2021. His iffy-combine may be a cause of concern for some, but tape typically doesn’t lie. Epenesa has that in his favor.
Matt’s Pick:
EDGE K’Lavon Chaisson, LSU
Rush defense was a flaw that plagued the Bills defense for a majority of the season. Perhaps, even the difference between a home playoff game last season, giving up an average of 4.3 per carry, and many crucial first downs.
This is a good draft for helping to strengthen that aspect of an otherwise solid defense, and where the Bills are picking in this year’s draft, there are a couple of options here to bolster that line. Whether it’s Epenesa, Gross-Matos, or Chaisson, the Bills are in a good slot for a defensive end. Chaisson has good size for the position and is a disruptive force. As a sophomore in 2019, he had 34 tackles and 6.5 sacks, as well as a national title with LSU. Oh, he was first-team All-SEC selection by the way, too.
A young player, ripe for grooming in a culture-based team. I believe that he would be a good fit on this Bills defense, but regardless of who is available at this point on the defensive line, Bills will have some quality athletes to choose from.
With the Combine in the rear view mirror, whose stock is rising, whose is falling and how has the board potentially changed?
Ah, mock draft season. With Indianapolis behind us, we can now start to imagine how the draft could play out given what we saw from the prospects at the 2020 Scouting Combine. Whose stock is rising, whose is falling, and how could — I repeat, how could — that impact the draft?
Here’s just one man’s shot at putting it together.
We can work our way into this mock with a selection that makes the most sense. The Bengals are moving on from Andy Dalton, and Joe Burrow’s magical season has rocketed him to the top of many draft boards. His decision-making, pocket presence and leadership abilities are perfect for what Cincinnati needs right now. Plus, the storyline of “local boy comes home” is sure to get fans excited.
Schematically, Burrow is a fit for what Bengals head coach Zac Taylor is looking to do offensively. With some weapons around him and some additions to the offensive line, Burrow could be in position to contribute early in his career.
2. Washington Redskins: Chase Young, EDGE, Ohio State
(Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sport)
There does seem to be some smoke building around the idea of Washington doing this year what the Arizona Cardinals did a season ago: Let a new regime pick their quarterback. Last year the Cardinals hired Kliff Kingsbury and let him pick the quarterback he wanted to build around. The result? Arizona moved on from Josh Rosen after a single season and drafted Kyler Murray.
Could the same thing happen to Dwayne Haskins? Rumors around Indianapolis last week seemed to indicate that it was at least a possibility. Washington reportedly met with Tua Tagovailoa and the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported that new head coach Ron Rivera told the Alabama passer that, according to a source, “[t]hey want to bring in Tua, just get it going and compete.”
My thinking here is this: This is lying season. Most people believe the draft begins at the second pick, and Washington holds a lot of cards. They could stay pat and select the best overall player in the draft, the Ohio State edge rusher. But if a team is dying to move up to draft a quarterback, they’ll entertain offers. One way to drive up the price? Float the idea that you are in the quarterback market as well.
For now, I think these are all smoke screens. Washington stays pat and takes the pass rusher.
3. Detroit Lions: Jeff Okudah, CB, Ohio State
(Joe Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports)
Here is where things could really get sporty.
There are concerns in Detroit regarding the status of quarterback Matthew Stafford. Back injuries the past few seasons have some wondering if it is time to prepare for a world without Stafford in Detroit. The issue is, Stafford’s contract is such that it makes much more sense from a salary cap perspective to move on from Stafford in 2021, rather than 2020.
Under Stafford’s contract, if he were to be traded or cut before June 1st, the Lions would be hit with $32 million in dead cap space for 2020, and would have a cap “savings” of minus $10.7 million for the 2020 league year.
However, if they decide to move on from Stafford prior to 2021, they would actually free up around $14M of cap space.
So the thinking here could be: Draft Tagovailoa, redshirt him for a season while Stafford plays through 2020, and then move on when Tagovailoa is fully healthy and it makes more sense from a cap perspective.
So it is a possibility that the Lions could go with a quarterback here.
At the same time, Matt Patricia must be feeling the urge to win now, and the idea of drafting a quarterback to simply redshirt him while the flames are fanned under your seat cannot feel too pleasant. In the end Detroit entertains the idea of Tagovailoa, but goes with the potential shutdown corner in Okudah.
4. Los Angeles Chargers (via trade with New York Giants): Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Alabama
(Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Now we have our first trade.
A running theme of this mock draft so far has been the Alabama quarterback. In the mix to Washington with the second pick. A potential option for Detroit with the third pick. Now this draft enters a stretch where quarterback is a possibility for a number of teams, including the Chargers at six and the Carolina Panthers at seven.
Tagovailoa has been linked to the Dolphins for a long time now, and the Chargers can read the tea leaves as well as anyone else. If they decide that Tagovailoa is their quarterback of the future, they’ll need to get in front of Miami to ensure that he is wearing the powder blues next season.
Conceptually, while there might be better fits for Tagovailoa’s skill-set, such as the Panthers as we argued yesterday, the Chargers will have the time to build around Tagovailoa and construct an offense around his strengths: His accuracy in the short area, his processing speed, and his familiarity with run/pass option designs.
5. Miami Dolphins: Justin Herbert, QB, Oregon
(Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports)
Interestingly enough, Miami might be just fine with the Chargers leap-frogging them, as they end up with the passer that some in the building have been targeting for over a year. It was just a year ago when reports out of Miami were that Dolphins’ owner Stephen Ross was interested in two quarterbacks: Tagovailoa and Herbert.
Now, with both an option for the Dolphins in this year’s draft, many have linked Miami to Tagovailoa. But the decision to hire Chan Gailey as their offensive coordinator does give them a potential schematic fit with both quarterbacks. As we argued yesterday, the Dolphins are a great fit for Herbert’s skill-set, given his background in Oregon’s spread system. That would ease his transition to the pro game, and with both Rosen and Ryan Fitzpatrick in place, they could potentially move one of those players late in training camp, depending on Herbert’s progress as a rookie this summer.
6. New York Giants (via trade with Los Angeles Chargers): Andrew Thomas, OT, Georgia
(AP Photo/Butch Dill)
New York Giants general manager Dave Gettleman said a number of things during his media session in Indianapolis that stuck with me. Two in particular. One I will take to heart, and the other I will ignore with this move to trade down and select the Georgia offensive tackle.
When addressing the media, Gettleman indicated that trading down does carry a bit of risk. What if you trade down, he theorized, from four to eight with four players that you like on your board? You might miss out on all of them is the fear he expressed.
But given how Gettleman could play the board, and still select one of the four impressive offensive tackles in this draft, gives him an option to pick up some additional selections in this draft and continue to build around Daniel Jones.
So while I dismissed the idea of Gettleman’s trade down fear, I will take to heart something else he said. He was asked about the most important position to help a young quarterback and he instantly delivered an incredible response: “Offensive line. I’ve found that it is hard to complete a pass when lying on your back.” And in, perhaps, a shot at all the discussion over Gettleman’s thoughts on analytics he added: “I’ve done that study.”
Here, the Giants trade back and get an NFL ready offensive tackle with experience on both the right and the left sides of the line. Given his SEC pedigree, Thomas has faced some imposing pass rushers during his time in Athens, and he’ll be ready to go up against some of what the NFL has to offer. The combine might have vaulted Tristan Wirfs and Mekhi Becton up many boards, but something tells me that Gettleman will value what Thomas put on tape.
The Panthers could go in a number of directions with this pick. Quarterback is in play, depending on what new head coach Matt Rhule decides to do with Cam Newton and how he handles Kyle Allen and last year’s draft pick Will Grier. Rhule has said all the right things about Newton, he likes Grier dating back to their games against each other in the Big 12, and Allen showed promise at times last year. So it is likely that Rhule keeps all three in Carolina and looks to address other needs.
Offensive line is also an area they could address, and given what we saw from Tristan Wirfs, Mekhi Becton at the combine as well as what we saw on film all season from Jedrick Wills Jr., any one of those players could be in play if the board falls this way.
They also have needs on the defensive side of the football. They could use help up front, they could use some help at linebacker in the wake of Luke Kuechly’s retirement, and they could also use some help in the secondary.
In Simmons, they could get help at all three levels of their defense. They would get a player who has lined up on the defensive line, in the slot, as a box safety and even as a boundary cornerback. They would also get an explosive athlete who posted a 4.39 40-yard dash at the combine, to go with a vertical leap of 39” and a broad jump of 11’. All while measuring in at 6’3 and ½” and weighing 238 pounds. He is an absolute freak of nature, and would revamp their defense in an instant.
In a draft that is talent-laden at the wide receiver position, we have yet to hear one WR called. That streak continues, as the Cardinals pass on every wide receiver on the board to address another glaring need: Offensive line. The Cardinals desperately need to protect Murray next season, and Becton can help in that effort.
Murray was sacked 48 times last season, tied with Russell Wilson and Matt Ryan for the most times sacked in the league. Now yes, sacks are not an offensive line statistic and the quarterback contributes to those sack totals, but the Cardinals do need to give him more time in the pocket. Murray was hurried 63 times last season, fifth-most in the league. With D.J. Humphries and Justin Murray as their starting tackles last season, this position could use a boost.
They get that in Becton. The massive left tackle showed some power and explosiveness both on film and during his combine workout. He has very fluid footwork for a man of his size, and his length will be an asset in Kingsbury’s offense. He could be the guy to protect Murray’s blindside for the next decade.
ESPN NFL Draft expert Todd McShay has Buffalo Bills select Clemson WR Tee Higgins in post-scouting combine mock draft.
Following the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, ESPN NFL Draft guru Todd McShay has changed his mind on the Buffalo Bills, sort of.
During the combine, he said the Bills should address their offense.
“They’ve got to get more consistent now in the passing game. I think they’ve got to get some depth and future, if you will, in the running back position, wide receiver, and playmakers on the offensive side, to go along with Josh Allen and that big arm,” McShay said.
Prior to the workouts, he pegged a running back to the Bills, Georgia’s D’Andre Swift at pick No. 22. In McShay’s post-combine mock draft, the Bills stay on offense, but this time the pick is Clemson wide receiver Tee Higgins.
Here’s how McShay explains it:
Let’s find Josh Allen a receiver to pair with John Brown. I thought about Brandon Aiyuk (Arizona State), but his game is very similar to Brown’s. What the Bills want instead is a big, strong receiver who can make tough contested catches and create matchup problems in the red zone. Enter Higgins, with his 6-4, 216-pound frame. He will come down with any ball thrown his way and then make defenders miss with his strength. The Bills also will be looking for offensive linemen, but the value isn’t right at No. 22. And while they could also use a running back to pair with Devin Singletary, that’s a position that can be addressed on Day 2.
At the combine, Higgins interviewed with reporters but decided not to partake in workouts. That’s not surprising as many top prospects decided to do that in an effort to not hurt their draft stock. Higgins is likely a mid-to-late first-round pick at the 2020 draft, which is right in the Bills’ wheelhouse. Higgins cited his extended season with Clemson playing for the national title as a reason why he sat out, too.
Amongst Bills observers, Higgins’ size is exactly what makes him an intriguing prospect. Although he didn’t run the 40-yard dash at the combine, he said his goal was to run a 4.4-second time in it. He might do so at Clemson’s pro day.
In McShay’s mock draft, Higgins is the fifth wideout selected in the draft. Among those who are selected before him is LSU’s Justin Jefferson. Jefferson is another bigger receiver prospect and the Eagles select him at pick No. 21, right before Buffalo’s selection. Unlike Higgins, Jefferson did opt to take part in some of the combine’s event and his stock soared after he posted a 4.43 40-yard time.
“Obviously there’s a bunch of receivers as everybody’s alluded to,” Denver coach Vic Fangio said at the combine on Tuesday. Fangio went on to note that many pundits often dub certain positions as “deep classes” even when they aren’t.
“Whereas — it seems to me that wide receiver [actually] is a deep group because there’s people that you kind of have a liking for that might be there in most of the rounds,” Fangio said.
The Broncos already have one Pro Bowl wide receiver in Courtland Sutton but general manager John Elway wants to give quarterback Drew Lock a few more weapons.
“We’re always going to try and surround the quarterback with people that he can be successful with and also protect him,” Elway said Tuesday. “There’s a deep class at wide receiver this year so we’ll continue to hopefully get better there too.”
Alabama’s Jerry Jeudy and Henry Ruggs, Oklahoma’s CeeDee Lamb, Colorado’s Laviska Shenault, TCU’s Jalen Reagor, Clemson’s Tee Higgins and LSU’s Justin Jefferson are among the top WRs in this year’s class.
The Baltimore Ravens are paying close attention to the results of the 2020 NFL Combine to see which players might rise or fall to them.
The first day of drills happened at the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine yesterday. The quarterbacks, wide receivers and tight ends ran through the gauntlet in front of scouts and general managers in an effort to help their stock in the 2020 NFL Draft.
For some, they exceeded expectations and might have put themselves in a better position come draft day. For others, they failed to impress and could have pushed themselves down teams’ draft boards. So let’s see which players the Ravens could be interested in won and lost on the first day of the 2020 NFL Combine.
Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images
Winner: WR Chase Claypool, Notre Dame
As a big-bodied wide receiver with decent hands and good route running, Claypool was a prime target for Baltimore in the second or third round. But Claypool was the winner of the 2020 NFL Combine thanks to outstanding measurements.
At 6-foot-4 and 238 pounds, Claypool’s 4.42-second 40-yard dash was blisteringly fast considering his size. His 40.5-inch high jump ranked fourth among wide receivers and shows how explosive he can be in the lower half. Basically, Claypool proved he’s the big, physical receiver he showed on film but also proved he’s got deceptive speed as well.
The fact Claypool’s combine performance is being compared favorably to Clavin Johnson is probably all you actually need to hear.
Here’s who showed out — and who should have stayed home — during Thursday’s scouting combine drills.
The scouting combine is but one element of the evaluation process for any draft prospect, though it’s an incredibly important one. If you blow it in team interviews or on the field for drills, it can absolutely affect your stock. And we all have our favorite combine performers whose feats put them in a different stratosphere in the eyes of NFL teams.
With that in mind, here’s who showed out — and perhaps who should have stayed home — during the Thursday combine drills that featured quarterbacks, tight ends, and receivers.
Winners
Jalen Hurts, QB, Alabama/Oklahoma
(Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports)
Hurts transferred from Alabama to Oklahoma following Tua Tagovailoa’s ascent with the Crimson Tide, and put up a career yards per attempt average of 9.1, and 80 touchdowns to 20 interceptions in two of the most schematically rigorous NCAA offenses. Still, concerns about his defensive recognition and hesitation when his first read is covered will linger.
Hurts did as much as he could to eliminate those issues in Indianapolis, running a 4.59 40-yard dash — the second-fastest time for any quarterback behind Hawaii’s Cole McDonald — and showing off-season work in the passing drills.
Hurts looked good on the short and intermediate throws that required timing and anticipation, but I was especially impressed by his ability to throw deep balls with touch, arc, timing, and accuracy. There are those who will tell you that Hurts could succeed in a dual role like a Taysom Hill. I think Hurts has developed beyond that. He may not be an immediate starter, but Hurts has the potential to put it all together in more than a gimmicky future.
Chase Claypool. WR/TE, Notre Dame
(Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports)
On Monday, Claypool measured at 6-foot-4 and 238 pounds, with a 9 7/8″ hand size, 32 4/8″ arm length, and an 80-inch wingspan. Claypool’s body type has a lot of NFL people thinking of moving him to a “Y” tight end, removed from the formation in a Travis Kelce style.
“I really haven’t put a lot of thought into that because I’ve been a receiver this whole time,” Claypool said this week. “But it’s something that I think could add versatility to my game. Right now, I’m just focused on being the best receiver I can be.”
Well, it worked out on the field at Lucas Oil Stadium, as Claypool ran a 4.42 40-yard dash and put together a 40.5-inch vertical jump and a 126-inch broad jump. This particular statistic puts Claypool’s evening in perspective.
Notre Dame wide receiver Chase Claypool was one of the biggest winners of the day, finishing with a 97 Athleticism Score per the Next Gen Stats Draft Model.
At 6'4, 238 lbs, Claypool ran a 4.42 40-yard dash, the only WR over 230 lbs to break 4.45 since Calvin Johnson (2007). pic.twitter.com/piL2rydCV9
If you’re in Megatron’s class, that’s a good landmark going forward.
Donovan Peoples-Jones, WR, Michigan
(Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports)
The combine worked out very well for Peoples-Jones, who caught 103 passes for 1,327 yards and 14 touchdowns over three years for the Wolverines in a limited passing offense. While he struggled to gain separation on the field, Peoples-Jones set himself apart with his measurements on this field.
This won’t eliminate the questions about his game tape, but it’ll have people talking more about him as more than a career backup.
Justin Jefferson, WR, LSU
(Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports)
Before he ran his drills on the field at Lucas Oil Stadium, Justin Jefferson got a little moral support from his quarterback — a guy whose name may be familiar.
Joe Burrow making sure his guy Justin Jefferson is ready
Yeah, well, it worked. Jefferson, who exploded in 2019 with 111 catches for 1,540 yards and 18 touchdowns in LSU’s national championship campaign last season, continued that momentum with a 4.43 40-yard dash at 6-foot-1 and 202 pounds. He also posted a 37.5-inch vertical jump and a 126-inch broad jump.
Moreover, Jefferson was aggressive and definitive when making his catches, especially in the gauntlet drill. Jefferson came into this environment with an obvious confidence that permeated his performance, and he likely made himself some money tonight, because everything you saw in the drills transfers to the tape.
Denzel Mims, WR, Baylor
(Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports)
At 6-foot-3 and 207 pounds, Mims established himself through four years at Baylor as one of the most aggressive deep threats and blocking receivers in the nation. He caught 186 passes for 2,925 yards and 28 touchdowns, and though the drop rate spoke to some focus issues through his collegiate career, there was no questioning his focus during the combine drills. Mims had a 38.5-inch vertical leap and a 10’11” broad jump, and both of his 40 times were in the 4.4 radius. Mims will have to develop his route tree beyond slants and go routes at the NFL level, but he did a lot to establish his athletic potential here in Indianapolis — especially after his strong Senior Bowl week.
But there are generally exceptions to the rule. Clemson receiver Tee Higgins’ informal interview with New England was … painless?
“I like those guys (the Patriots), they’re real cool and relaxing, they make me feel comfortable,” Higgins told reporters in Indianapolis during a press conference on Tuesday. “Some coaches can be all intimidating and get you on the books right away, but they just talked to me and got me comfortable.”
Comfortable? That’s not exactly what we’ve been hearing about the meetings with New England. But perhaps Higgins caught a Patriots’ staffer on a good day. Interestingly, he admitted the rest of the week hasn’t been as much of a breeze.
“It’s a lot being thrown at us but it’s a once in a lifetime thing, so you got to enjoy it … it’s just a lot of sitting and waiting, you got to be patient. It’s just testing your patience,” he said, adding later, “A lot of teams want to know my background, but a lot of teams want to know what I’m gonna bring to the team, my strengths and my weaknesses, stuff like that.”
The Jags need help on the offensive side and Tee Higgins will be just one of many players at the combine for fans to watch Thursday.
The offensive prospects will take the field Thursday and Friday for the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine. That’s a side of the ball where the Jacksonville Jaguars need a lot of help, so needless to say, fans will be glued to their television sets.
All of that said, here are four prospects with first round grades to watch on the offensive end who could end up being drafted by the Jags come draft day:
Tristan Wirfs, OT, Iowa
Simply put, despite Dave Caldwell’s comments about liking the Jags’ offensive line, the bottom line is they need upgrades there. It remains to be seen if they will move Cam Robinson from left tackle, but at the least, they need to add a new starter at guard.
Tristan Wirfs has mostly started at right tackle, however, the Jags are unlikely to stop the development of Jawaan Taylor at that spot as he settled down late in the season and flashed. Instead, drafting Wirfs to play right guard might be an option as A.J. Cann hasn’t really developed like most had hoped.
Andrew Thomas, OT, Georgia
Again, it’s unknown if whether the Jags will move Robinson this year, but I’ll give you one reason they should: Andrew Thomas.
Thomas is a massive player at 6-foot-5, 320 pounds, and is a strong run blocker and a mountain to get around in pass protection. Draft pundits have concerns about his technique, however, the Jags have an offensive line coach as their head coach in Doug Marrone, who can help Thomas develop over time.
Henry Ruggs III, WR, Alabama
This year’s receivers class is one many feel is the strongest and deepest we’ve seen in some time, which is good for the Jags who need help beside DJ Chark Jr. The second-year receiver exploded in 2020 and became a Pro Bowler but it was clear he needed another receiver to take the pressure off him down the stretch.
Henry Ruggs is a player with speed for days and some believe he’ll run a 4.2 in the 40-yard dash. He’s also a player who would set the league on fire if paired with Chark. With Caldwell being great at drafting receivers, Ruggs definitely could be an option in the first round as the Jags look to build around Gardner Minshew II.
Tee Higgins, WR, Clemson
Tee Higgins is another baller from this 2020 receivers class and has great size. At 6-foot-4, 215 pounds, he’d bring that Allen Robinson-like presence the Jags have missed since the young receiver departed via free agency. He can go up and pluck the ball and is very smooth as a route runner. Those a traits that could take Minshew to the next level.
Higgins said that his goal for the 40-yard dash will be to run in the 4.4s, and if he does, the Jags need to heavily consider him for the No. 20 pick or perhaps making a trade to get him sooner.
Solomon Kindley, OG, Georgia
Jags fans should be well aware of this young man as he is a Jacksonville native. Solomon Kindley was dominant in the trenches for the Bulldogs over the span of the last three years, especially as a run blocker. When looking at his physical style, he reflects what the Jags want in a lineman and he would be just what the doctor ordered for Leonard Fournette between the tackles.
He was one of the players who revealed he’s met with the Jags this week, and clearly their interest should be genuine. It will be interesting to see what he does in the strength related drills because the power is clearly there on tape.
