Houston Texans general manager Nick Caserio set a precedent with rookie second-round pick and wide receiver Jayden Higgins. So far, the returns have been encouraging. Higgins “turned heads” during the Texans’ offseason program.
ESPN’s DJ Bien-Aime named Higgins, the No. 34 overall pick of the draft, as the team’s “under-the-radar” player who could make a “serious impact” on the field in 2025.
Bien-Aime believes Higgins is “squarely positioned” to push for a starting job.
“The Texans’ on-the-field work for OTAs were pretty quiet as quarterback C.J. Stroud didn’t throw for most of spring football practices outside of minicamp. But one player who did make noise was second-round rookie wideout Higgins,” Bien-Aime wrote on June 30. “The big-body receiver (6-4, 215) flashed his down-field ability by beating multiple cornerbacks throughout the spring, including starting cornerback Kamari Lassiter.”
Higgins, who began his collegiate career at Eastern Kentucky, posted 1,183 yards and 9 touchdowns on 87 receptions during his final season (of two) at Iowa State. He had a 52-986-3 line the year prior, showing consistency.
Jayden Higgins a Rarity in NFL
Higgins made history when the Texans gave him the first fully guaranteed contract ever for a second-round pick. Soon after, the Cleveland Browns followed suit with linebacker Carson Schwesinger, the No. 1 pick of the round.
However, there has been no movement with the other players selected in the second round of the 2025 draft.
“Across sports, there’s usually little to no negotiating that goes on with rookie contracts, which are laid out based on draft selection in collective bargaining agreements. The NFL has had a rookie wage scale since 2011. But each year, the NFL sees holdouts and hold-ins—veterans who choose not to report to training camp or sit out on football activities to put pressure on contract negotiations. If the second-rounders continue their stalemate into training camp, they would set a new precedent for holdouts and hold-ins,” Front Office Sports’ Margaret Fleming wrote on June 30.
“NFL teams don’t necessarily shell out on second-rounders.
Fleming noted that Higgins and Schwesinger will be the “highest-paid” members of the second round. Some have also pointed to New Orleans Saints QB Tyler Shough (No. 40 overall) as the true holdup.
Higgins and fellow former Cyclone Jaylin Noel also became the first pair of wideouts from and selected to the same team since 2013 and ever in Texans franchise history.
Jayden Higgins Bonds With C.J. Stroud, Texans Teammates
Higgins quickly showed a connection with Stroud once the latter returned to on-field work. Moreover, that budding chemistry has continued during the break. Higgins joined Stroud and fellow wideouts Noel and the injured Tank Dell and others for a visit to the University of Toronto.
“Second straight year the Texans QB hosted his wide receivers on a pre training camp trip,” “Film Don’t Lie”’s Chancellor Johnson posted on X on June 30.
“Last year it was Miami, this year up north in Toronto.”
The Texans are one of 10 teams whose rookies and veterans will report for training camp on the same day. For Higgins and his Texans brethren, that is on July 22. That will be the big-bodied target’s next opportunity to push for a starting job.
