After spending his freshman and sophomore years at Eastern Kentucky, Jayden Higgins transferred to Iowa State and continued to get better and better. After a successful 2024 season, Higgins has started to even get a bit of first-round buzz.

Is that buzz just hopeful optimism, or is Higgins the next sleeper receiver in the draft who will surprise people? Let’s take a closer look to find out.

The Stats

As I mentioned, Higgins has continued to improve every year in his college career. As a true freshman at Eastern Kentucky, he received 55 targets, which he converted into 29 receptions, 394 yards, and three touchdowns. He then followed that up with 86 targets, which became 58 receptions, 757 yards, and 10 touchdowns.

Thanks to that improved production, Higgins got recognized by Iowa State then transferred there to put up 53 receptions, 983 yards, and six touchdowns on 80 targets. After adjusting to the FBS, Higgins continued his progression by earning 129 targets, which he turned into 87 receptions, 1,185 yards, and nine touchdowns in 2024. For a lot of players, we talk about moments when players seem to finally put it together or have good moments of improvement as players. However, Higgins has steadily improved every single year in college. This should make NFL teams more confident that Higgins can continue to improve and have a quicker transition to the NFL.