The NFL Draft is just over three weeks away, and that means it’s time for FOX college football analyst Brock Huard to begin his annual series of profiles on players he’d like the Seattle Seahawks to select.
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Huard, a former NFL quarterback, kicked the series off Monday during Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk with a potential late-round linebacker who could bring quality depth to the defense: Iowa’s Jay Higgins.
“If you’re going to be the middle linebacker for (head coach) Kirk Ferentz at the University of Iowa, you’re going to have Thump ‘Em Tuesday, Whack ‘Em Wednesday,” Huard said. “You’re going to be in pads every single Tuesday and Wednesday of the college football season callousing yourself up, hardening yourself up, so you can go on Saturdays and be a difference-maker and gladiator. Jay Higgins is that kind of guy.”
Production but limited traits
Higgins was highly productive during his two years as a starter for the Hawkeyes in the Big Ten. He tied a school record and led the country with 171 tackles during the 2023 season, and he had 124 tackles and four interceptions while being named a first-team All-America selection by the Associated Press in 2024.
Huard said the quarters scheme that Iowa bases its defense off puts linebackers in a spot where “every attention to detail and every step matters.”
“It takes unbelievably high-IQ football players with a different sense of acumen, and Jay Higgins has that,” Huard said.
Iowa LB Jay Higgins read this one 👀 #B1GFootball on CBS 📺 pic.twitter.com/EsJZy2UwTe
— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) September 7, 2024
When Higgins became a starter, he replaced a recent Iowa product who’s become a standout linebacker in the NFL in Detroit’s Jack Campbell, who was a first-round pick in the 2023 draft. Higgins had a similar level of production in college and even outpaced Campbell in some numbers, but his measurables make him a less-coveted pro prospect.
Higgins measured in at 6 foot and 224 pounds at the NFL combine. He ran the slowest time among linebackers at 4.82 seconds in the 40-yard dash and ranked near the bottom in the vertical and broad jumps, but he did have the fastest time in the three-cone drill at 7.01 seconds.
“The traits, again, not off the charts,” Huard said. “… But you know what he does? He makes up for it with unbelievable instincts and unbelievable angles.”
Play maker 👊@_jhigg x #Hawkeyes
pic.twitter.com/MS8AJeUMnk
— Hawkeye Football (@HawkeyeFootball) October 5, 2024
Huard believes Higgins is in under-the-radar pick who could fill in defensively early on if needed and find other ways to make an impact.
“He wouldn’t be the most electric, dynamic player, but he would be in the right position all the time,” Huard said. “And to me, that’s a sixth- or seventh-round pick and also a special teams maven.”
Hear the full conversation at this link or in the audio player near the top of this story. Listen to Brock and Salk weekdays from 6-10 a.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.
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