Iowa Hawkeye’s Jay Higgins runs during the team’s practice at Ensworth School in Nashville, Tenn., Friday, Dec. 27, 2024. Nicole Hester / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

New York Giants Draft Prospect: LB Jay Higgins, Iowa

Originally posted on New York Giants on SI
By Nick Falato | Last updated Jan 22, 2025 10:00 AM ET

John Blair of NFL Mocks has compared Iowa linebacker Jay Higgins to current Carolina veteran linebacker Josey Jewell, who has had three seasons with 100+ tackles.

Jay Higgins, LB

A former three-star recruit out of Brebeuf Jesuit High School in Indianapolis, Indiana, where he was the 17th-ranked player in his state and the 63rd-graded inside linebacker in the 2020 class.

Higgins started the last two seasons at Iowa and recorded under 300 total tackles during that span. In the illustrious history of the Iowa Hawkeyes, Higgins ranks 17th in tackles.

Higgins had 35 pressures in his career with a 9.3% missed tackle rate. He also recorded 117 STOPs in his two seasons as a starter. He was a Butkus, Bednarik, and Lombardi Award semifinalist, as well as a Lott IMPACT trophy semifinalist in 2024.

He earned FWAA, Phil Steele, and Sports Illustrated First Team All-American honors in 2023. Higgins will be in attendance at the East-West Shrine Game.

Strengths

Weaknesses

Summary

Jay Higgins is a hustle-based linebacker who can get outside the numbers to make tackles but lacks the difference-making physical traits to consistently threaten offenses sideline-to-sideline. He’s not overly fluid in space, nor is he the best at changing direction, but he’s an incredibly smart and focused linebacker who does well to position himself to leverage his run fit.

He possesses excellent eyes and a good ability to use his hands to avoid contact, especially when he’s square to the line of scrimmage.

Higgins does well to stay square to his target – maneuvering well through trash – and finding the ball carrier before delivering a heavy hit. His quick trigger and anticipatory skills challenge the RB and cause indecision near the LOS.

He had a knack for finding the football in shallow zones and displayed good overall spatial awareness, yet his athletic struggles could hinder his ability in man coverage and that could pose a problem at the next level depending on his landing spot.

Overall, Higgins has the floor of a special teams asset with elite intangibles, but his ceiling is capped due to a lack of elite athletic ability. His play style is infectious, as he runs around the field like the energizer bunny. He could still find his way into a starting lineup in the right system.

GRADE: 6.12

This article first appeared on New York Giants on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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