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2016 NFL Draft: Rashard Higgins Could Turn Into Roddy White Clone


FentayeJones

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Few receivers bring as impressive a resume to the NFL as former Colorado State wideout Rashard Higgins, who can boast three consecutive 68-reception seasons or better and a Consensus All-American Award. Accolades aside, Higgins may appear a super fit for the Atlanta Falcons because of a comparable.

David Robinson was a member of the Oklahoma football team from 2003-05 and played for head coach Bob Stoops. He also was a part of two national title games. Now he’s the president and CEO of D-Rob Sports and Fitness Trainingicon1.png in Dallas, Texas. When you hear quarterback training, George Whitfield comes to mind. Robinson’s name is synonymous with receiver and tight end training.

Robinson has been training Higgins since Higgins was in high schoolicon1.png. When he looks at former Colorado State receiver, he sees a facsimile to Roddy White.

“Yes, definitely,” said Robinson on whether Higgins would fit in with the Falcons’ offense. “Julio [Jones] might be able to stretch the field — not that Rashard can’t stretch the field, he runs like a 4.5 or high-4.4 — but Rashard is going to bring more of an aspect to the route running in the intermediate part, like a Roddy White. He’s going to present that same type of aspect that Roddy White complimented Julio in the previous years.”

But there’s more to the Falcons fit than just being able to do what White has done recently. Higgins has some amazing upside, according to Robinson. So much upside that predicting similar results in the future to White’s six seasons from 2007-2012 (White never caught fewer than 83 passes or gained fewer than 1,153 yards) isn’t out of the realm of possibility.

“In three years he’ll be a Pro Bowl-type receiver,” said Robinson. “Any team that drafts him — of courseicon1.png he’ll start out being the No. 2 receiver, like Terrance Williams — in Year 3 going into Year 4, Rashard will be a No. 1 wideout.”

That means the Falcons could grab an immediately capable second chair to Jones who could evolve into a near equal. In three seasons Atlanta could have dueling Pro-Bowl receivers for opposing defenses to contend with.

Higgins’ results speak for themselves. He followed up a 17-touchdown sophomore campaign where he hauled in 96 passes for 1,750 yards in 2014 with 1,061 yards and eight more touchdowns this past season as a junior. He finished his Colorado State career with 3,648 receiving yards and 31 touchdowns. He’s also a workout and film-room warrior.

Robinson said Higgins is the kind of guy coaches have to make leave the field or get out of the film room. He’s doing something football related all the time. Robinson called him a “football junkie” and said another close comparable on the field was New York Giants star Rueben Randle.

If it’s not his intelligence or driveicon1.png to one-up the competition, Robinson noted Higgins’ effortless route running as a tool he’ll use to immediately succeed in the NFL.

“He’s very smooth and a savvy route-runner, said Robinson. “He’s tall — like 6-foot-2 — and he moves like somebody who’s 5-foot-10. That’s what really is going to separate Rashard. At the top of his route he can come in and out of his break like he was a smaller receiver and that’s very, very tough for defensive backs to cover.”

According to CBS’ prospect rankings, Higgins is the ninth-ranked receiver in the 2016 draft and is projected to be a second- to third-round pick.

http://atlanta.cbslocal.com/2016/02/22/2016-nfl-draft-rashard-higgins-roddy-white-clone/

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This is a guy who I have had my eye on for a month or so now. The only other person on the boards who I've seen mention Higgins, until now, is @King Jigsaw.
I had been thinking that Higgins would go in either rounds 3 or 4 but now I worry that he may go sooner in either rounds 2 or 3. 

Higgins looks like a smart player who finds soft spots against coverages, a good route runner, has good hands, and can be used in a number of ways including: screens, short routes, intermediate crossing routes, or as a vertical threat. I think that Higgins and Hardy would be an awesome pair of receivers to support Julio and the run game that features Freeman. 

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11 minutes ago, Upstate NY Falcon said:

As a receiver, he definitely looks the part.

If RW comparisons are going to be made, I want to see how he handles blocking downfield in the running game... IMO the most underrated part of Roddy's game.

precisely. He has to have that physicality about him downfield in the run game.

 

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3 hours ago, k-train said:

Higgins is one of the WRs I'm most interested in at this point.

Also curious about:
Jay Lee (Baylor)
Hunter Sharp (Utah State)
Sterling Shepard (Oklahoma)
Charone Peake (Clemson)
Will Fuller (Notre Dame)
Bralon Addison (Oregon)

Fuller has been my guy for a while. A real DeSean Jackson clone. 

Peake's measureables and coming out a of Clemson which has produced quite a few WRs of late has my interest. 

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