Dynasty Fantasy Football Rookie Update: John Hightower, WR PHI

James Simpson Posted On July 7, 2020

The NFL Draft is behind us, rookie drafts are taking place, and as dynasty owners, we are looking ahead to the upcoming season. In the Dynasty Fantasy Football Rookie Update series, we break down all the incoming fantasy-relevant rookies, looking at their profile and where they fit.

Name: John Hightower

Position: Wide receiver

Pro Team: Philadelphia Eagles

College Team: Boise State Broncos

Draft status: Round five, 168th overall

Video Highlights

Combine review

Height: 6’1″
Weight: 189 lbs
Arms: 31.5″
Hands: 9.75″
40-yard dash: 4.43 seconds
Bench press: N/A
Three-cone: 7.07 seconds
Vertical jump: 38.5″
Broad jump: N/A

Strengths

Hightower’s sell is his speed. His 4.43-second 40-yard dash time recorded at the NFL Combine backs up his on-field speed, and he also averaged 17.6 yards per reception in his college career.
Open-field ability – he was not only a receiver for Boise State, but was also involved in designed runs and as a kick returner, providing big-play potential.
Despite his smaller frame, Hightower’s hand size is in the 76th percentile for receivers – and in the 100th percentile for players his size. This could bode well for him improving as a hands catcher.
With an 84th-percentile vertical jump, he proved he can leap – he can win in jump-ball situations.

Weaknesses

His size and frame could prevent him from being an ‘alpha’ receiver – he didn’t ‘play big’ at Boise State so that play strength likely won’t improve drastically.
Even though he has big hands, Hightower has short arms (36th percentile) and struggled to catch the ball outside his frame. His ball skills are inconsistent.
Over two seasons, Hightower had just 82 catches, 1,447 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns through the air. He wasn’t a massive college producer and is already a 24-year-old. Is there much room for improvement?

Opportunities

After a dreadful 2019 season for their wide receivers who were ravaged with injury or simply failed to perform, the Eagles have attempted to drastically improve their wideout room this summer. Specifically on NFL Draft weekend, they added four new targets. The good news for Philadelphia is that the team wasn’t happy with their existing options, so will give all the incomers a fair chance to prove themselves.

Hightower’s special teams ability (23.3-yard kick return average and one touchdown) could also help him find a spot on the depth chart.

Threats

I will make the same point as above but a from different viewpoint: because Hightower was one of many additions to the receiver room in Philadelphia, he will find it harder to stand out. Plus the Eagles will get Alshon Jeffery and DeSean Jackson back from injury, JJ Arcega-Whiteside was last year’s second-round pick and will be given more opportunities, and Greg Ward impressed in relief of the other absentees. There are a lot of bodies here.

Realistically, Hightower’s threats are the speedsters – Jackson and new addition Marquise Goodwin, specifically – as that is the role he is competing to fill. If both veterans are healthy, it’s hard to imagine Hightower seeing the field as a deep threat.

Short-term expectations

It could be argued Hightower is not worth targeting outside of deep dynasty leagues (or best-ball leagues) to start the season. He might not see many targets at all in his first season, so don’t expect consistent production, and probably won’t see the field early even as a boom/bust option. Unless he surprises – or a veteran is injured or traded – he is unlikely to increase in dynasty value either.

Long-term expectations

If he can develop into a dangerous deep threat, his potential with quarterback Carson Wentz at the helm of an offense that wants to open up the field is fairly high. However, that offense likes to spread the ball around to multiple options.

Over his four years as head coach, even Doug Pederson’s leading wide receiver has managed just 804, 789, 843 and 490 yards by the end of the year. His WR2? Just 392, 768, 736 and 363 yards. Will Hightower become one of the top two wideouts in this attack? It’s hard to imagine. He is unlikely to be a reliable long-term fantasy option.

That said, the more positive approach is that going by most draft reports, Hightower is a very talented receiver who may simply have fallen due to the talent in this year’s class. Would he have been a third or fourth-round pick in other years? How highly would we regard him if that was the case? He will need a little luck along the way – veterans underperforming or moving on, making the most of his chances and staying healthy – but if Hightower does start to show flashes, he will be worth keeping a close eye on.

NFL player comparison

As expected, most comparisons you will see are to deep threats who had inconsistent NFL careers. NFL Combine Results offers Paul Richardson as the player most similar to Hightower athletically. However, positive comps include Robby Anderson (via Bleacher Report) and athletic similarities with Torry Holt and Reggie Wayne (MockDraftable).

A Robby Anderson-like career and production path would be outstanding for a fifth-round pick like Hightower. Anderson saw 25 targets in the first half of his rookie season (15 catches, 152 yards, no touchdowns) before showing major signs of improvement in the second with 53 targets (27-435-2). Monitor Hightower’s involvement throughout year one.

Projected rookie draft range

Very late, or perhaps undrafted. He doesn’t appear in startup ADP or rookie draft ADP in DLF’s data, and comes in at 58th overall in the Rookie MFL ADP. Essentially, you will be able to get him if you want him. My advice would be to only roster him in very deep leagues, otherwise keep your eyes peeled for his potential opportunity to break out and snap him up then.

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James Simpson

Writer and Editor at Dynasty League Football

The great Russell Wilson once said: "the separation is in the preparation". James shares the same sentiment when it comes to dynasty success. Do the research, watch a ton of football and be relentless about building what you view to be the most talented team. Question everything, be open-minded and learn lessons every day.

As well as editing for DLF, James writes for Sky Sports and can be found on Twitter at @JS_Football