The NFL Draft is behind us, rookie drafts are taking place, and as dynasty managers we are looking ahead to the upcoming season. In our Dynasty Rookie Post-Draft Update series, we break down all the incoming fantasy-relevant rookies, looking at their profiles and where they fit. The basis of the rookie profile involves the usage of STORM analysis, focusing on five key components: Situation, Talent, Opportunity, Risk, and Market.
Situation
Name: Jayden Higgins
Position: Wide Receiver
Pro Team: Houston Texans
College Team: Iowa State
Draft Status: Round 2; Pick 34
Higgins was born in the Atlanta area before moving to South Miami. When he first started playing football with the South Miami Grey Ghosts, he was an offensive lineman and a defensive lineman, before finally moving to the position that he plays today. While he excelled on the gridiron, basketball was his primary focus through his first two seasons of high school. In fact, he was so committed to basketball that he didn’t even play football as a sophomore. Before his junior year, he transferred to Westminster Christian High School, and took this opportunity to get back on the football field. He still hoped to play basketball in college, but the offers started to roll in for football. His senior season was cut short because of the Pandemic, but he had 23 catches for 430 yards and five touchdowns in five games.
Higgins was only a two-star wide receiver in the 2021 recruiting class. He was a latecomer to the football recruiting scene and only played at a small high school, so his college offers were not robust. He didn’t receive any offers from FBS schools, so he chose to attend Eastern Kentucky University in the FCS.
After a solid freshman season at EKU, he broke out as a sophomore, catching 58 passes for 757 yards and 10 touchdowns. He entered the transfer portal and received several FBS offers from the likes of Minnesota, Mississippi State, Northwestern and Pittsburgh. He chose Iowa State and played his final two seasons in Ames. In two productive seasons, he caught 140 passes for 2,166 yards and 15 touchdowns. He earned second-team All-Big 12 honors and third-team All-American honors in his senior year, while leading the team in receptions and receiving touchdowns. He opted out of the Pop-Tarts Bowl and declared for the NFL Draft, accepting an invitation to the Senior Bowl.
Talent
