When it comes to the Denver Broncos and their offense, there is a very simple goal — build around quarterback Bo Nix. Whatever it takes and whatever that entails.
That means don’t expect an NFL draft to go by in the coming years without multiple moves to help Nix, and in 2025 that could mean the Broncos going heavy on offense in the early rounds.
ESPN’s Jordan Reid predicts that will include an elite pass catching threat in the second round (No. 51 overall), where he has Iowa State wide receiver Jayden Higgins slotted to the Broncos in his latest mock draft.
“Higgins makes tough catches look routine,” Reid wrote on April 21. “His 20 contested catches last season were the sixth most in the FBS. He would give the Broncos another playmaker for Bo Nix and could be a potential successor for Courtland Sutton in time.”
In this case, “in time” might mean as soon as 2026 as Sutton is in the final season of the 4-year, $60.8 million contract extension he signed with the Broncos in November 2021.
The NFL draft runs from April 24-26 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Higgins Could Be Legitimate WR2 Option in 2025
Other than an elite offensive line, the Broncos didn’t have much on offense in 2024 besides the connection between Nix and Sutton, who cracked 1,000 receiving yards for just the second time in his career with 81 receptions for 1,081 yards and 8 touchdowns.
While young wide receivers like Marvin Mims and Devaughn Vele flashed potential in 2024, they’ve yet to show they can be legitimate WR1 or WR2 options — something that’s critical to the Broncos’ success moving forward. In 2024, it was more like Sutton as a low-end WR1 followed by a gaggle of WR3 options.
Higgins, 6-foot-4 and 214 pounds, could fix all of that.
In 2024, Higgins earned All-Big 12 and All-American honors with 87 receptions for 1,183 yards and 9 touchdowns in 13 games. He followed that up with a bravura performance at the NFL scouting combine, where he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.47 seconds along with recording a 39 inch vertical leap and a 10-foot, 8-inch broad jump.
“(Higgins) has mismatch qualities from the slot with body control and a catch radius that make him a menace on jump balls downfield,” NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein wrote. “He won’t outrun cornerbacks and is nothing special after the catch, but his size, ball skills and competitiveness create a profile of production as a future contributor in three-wide sets.”
Higgins Became NFL Draft Prospect After Transfer
Higgins spent the first 2 seasons of his college career at Eastern Kentucky University, where he had 87 receptions for 1,151 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2022 and 2023, including a breakout season with 58 receptions for 757 yards and a whopping 10 touchdowns as a sophomore.
Higgins’ big year led him to a Power Four school at Iowa State, where he only continued to put up big numbers.
Over 2 seasons with the Cyclones, Higgins had 140 receptions for 2,166 yards and 15 touchdowns, and set a school record with 7 consecutive games with a touchdown reception. He also had at least 1 reception in all 26 games he played for Iowa State and finished his career with 28 touchdown receptions.
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