Rashard Higgins, WR CSU
Height: 6-2
Weight: 184
40-time: 4.52 (projected)
NFL Comparison: Jarvis Landry, Nate Washington, Marvin Jones

– Polished receiver in movements, cuts and routes – looks like a smooth operator and a pro; but not necessarily super-explosive out of breaks or off the line of scrimmage; separates from more of a lack of wasted motion than from pure burst.

– Gets up to speed quickly from the second to third levels and can sell double-moves and fakes masterfully; extremely good feet, it’s one of his flashiest attributes.

– Stems well at the line of scrimmage to sell a release; takes what the DB gives him in reaction in a way that reminds you of Jarvis Landry coming out of college.

– Ability to stem to free up release space masks a lack of beastliness to get off the press in man-coverage much of the time at the college-level; could have issues in this area at the next level.

– Can beat you underneath on quick-hitting routes or stretch the field, his speed is not out-of-this-world but it is very good; we’ll be very interested to see if he’s a 4.5-guy or if he could be a sneaky 4.4-guy in Indy.

– Had a monster year in 2014 for Jim McElwain’s last season at CSU with Garrett Grayson at QB; was still the offense’s primary target in 2015 but did not have the same sort of statistical production; elected to forego his senior season to enter the 2016 NFL draft.

– Super-slim and lanky for a guy who’s only 6-2, proportionally he’s built in the mold of an AJ Green if Green was 1.5-to-2 inches shorter – which kind of looks like a Marvin Jones; has some big mitts and usually does a great job finding a way to snag the ball if it’s in his area; has a natural playmaker/entertainer vibe to his game.

– Doesn’t always attack the football with soft hands as a receiver and will sometimes allow it into his body too frequently.

– Not a dominant player at the catch point; currently not strong enough to out-muscle, out-position or box out physical DBs in certain contested situations; not a ‘throw it up and let him go get it’-player.

– Is extremely fluid and agile into very tough, reaching and lunging receptions that seem acrobatic; is better used as a red-zone weapon in this way for timing-routes like back-corner pylon fades than with contested jump balls; you even worry a little about timing routes, though, as sometimes he’ll get jammed up at the line of scrimmage.

– Not a dynamic weapon after-catch, but a very good one; long-speed is much more impressive than short-area quicks and he’s not afraid of contact post-catch like a Nate Washington.

– Not going to win any awards as a downfield-blocker in the run-game.

In all, “Hollywood” Higgins is a very good player who was likely justified in leaving CSU early if his expectation is to be drafted. It’s hard to picture a scenario where he is not, but it’s not necessarily a lock that he’ll creep into Day 2 barring an explosive performance in Indy. Assuming he measures and tests as expected, we feel like NFL teams will view Higgins as a potential possession slot-receiver-plus at the next level. As we know, this type of role has the potential to be extremely valuable in fantasy, most especially in PPR formats.

He was a record-breaker in college with an NFL-prospect-level QB in much the same way Justin Hardy was at East Carolina with ridiculous production. We always think it’s an important intangible to be a player who’s heavily involved in the game plan and seems “trusted” by the staff and QB alike, and Higgins certainly checks that box. As for a tangible box to check, we always love players whose market-share of the team’s statistical offense shows that things truly ran through them. As you’ll see below in the stats from CSU, Higgins was a market-share hog.

Higgins’ value for redraft and dynasty will largely hinge on the situation he falls to. He’s a dependable player who’s shown flashes and polish to be relevant in both types of formats if given the opportunity to come in and contribute early as he develops.

From the CSU athletic department

2015 (Junior): Named first team All-Mountain West by vote of media and coaches… played in 12 games and started 11, recording 75 receptions for 1062 yards (14.2) and eight touchdowns… is Colorado State’s all-time leader in receptions (238), yards (3643), and touchdowns (31)… has recorded a reception in all 38 games of his collegiate career… his 6.3 receptions per game and 90.9 receiving yards per game ranked 24th and 22nd in NCAA FBS, respectively… missed the Minnesota game (Sept. 12) because of a foot sprain suffered in the season opener.