According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 in Houston, the San Francisco 49ers are among the teams that have expressed "heavy interest" in Stanford wide receiver Elijah Higgins ahead of this week's NFL Draft. Wilson also names the Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings, and Tennessee Titans as teams with significant interest in the draft prospect.
Stanford WR-potential pass-catching tight end Elijah Higgins (6-3, 238, 4.54 speed, 35 vertical, 10-6 broad jump, 59 catches, 704 yards, two touchdowns 2022) visited #Dolphins, heavy interest from #49ers #Vikings #Dolphins #Titans, workouts or Zooms with nearly every NFL team
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) April 26, 2023
Higgins registered a career-high 59 receptions for 704 yards and two touchdowns through 12 game appearances as a senior in 2022, per Sports Reference. He caught 119 passes for 1,380 yards with six touchdowns through his four collegiate seasons.
"Draft grades for Higgins could vary depending on how teams envision using him in their offense," Lance Zierlein wrote within the player's NFL.com scouting report, comparing Higgins to Jordan Reed. "While teams might see him as a big possession receiver with limitations, he appears to have the necessary tools to become a dynamic F tight end with the ability to work all three levels of the field. Higgins has average ball skills but can run a more robust route tree than most tight ends. Also, he has the frame and technique to be an adequate run blocker in space. He might never be more than a backup at receiver but could blossom for an offense ready to plug him into two tight end sets."
Higgins is from Austin, TX. He earned a pre-draft grade of 6.2 from NFL.com, which equates to an "eventual average starter," per the site's 8-point grading scale.
At the NFL Scouting Combine, the 6'3" and 235-pound Higgins had a 40-time of 4.54 seconds, a vertical jump of 35 inches, a broad jump of 126 inches, and a 7.01-second three-cone drill time. His other measurables include an arm length of 31 3/4 inches and hands measuring 10 1/2 inches.
Higgins had 17 reps in the bench press, a 7.13-second three-cone drill time, and a 20-yard shuttle time of 4.50 seconds at his personal Pro Day. At his school Pro Day, he had a 40-time of 4.69 seconds, a vertical jump of 33.60 inches, and a 20-yard shuttle time of 4.50 seconds.
NFL.com projects Higgins to be a fifth-round draft pick, a round in which San Francisco owns three selections.
| College Statistics | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | School | Class | G | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | ||||||||
| 2019 | Stanford | FR | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||||||||
| 2020 | Stanford | SO | 4 | 15 | 176 | 11.7 | -- | ||||||||
| 2021 | Stanford | JR | 10 | 45 | 500 | 11.1 | 4 | ||||||||
| 2022 | Stanford | SR | 12 | 59 | 704 | 11.9 | 2 | ||||||||
| Total | Stanford | 119 | 1,380 | 11.6 | 6 | ||||||||||
