— Good size for a modern NFL linebacker.

— Has solid instincts as a run defender against traditional handoffs (non-option plays) to put himself in a position to take on blocks and beat offensive linemen to the spot.

— Physical and not afraid to come downhill and hit people, likes contact.

— Enough strength to be solid at holding ground against offensive linemen.

— Good pad level and wraps up when tackling, he had few misses in college.

— Impressive awareness and eye discipline in zone coverage to locate threats and help teammates.

— Good speed and acceleration to click and close in coverage.

— Hustle player who factors into gang tackles down the field, constantly rallying to the ball.

— Lateral movement skills and change of direction are sub-par, leading to issues in man coverage and impacting his ability to make offensive linemen miss in the running game.

— Hips are a little stiff, making it difficult to flip his hips and take away crossing routes.

— Appears to have shorter arms, making it difficult to stack and shed against the run.

— Struggles to locate the ball against read options, often guessing and getting caught out of position.

— Occasionally doesn’t bring his feet with him when tackling.

— A 3-star recruit in the 2020 class, per 247Sports

— 2024: First-Team All-American; Big 10 Linebacker of the Year; First-Team Big 10

— 2023: First-Team All-American; First-Team All-Big 10; Tied school record for most tackles (171)

Jay Higgins is a well-decorated and highly productive linebacker. He is a two-time All-American and has racked up nearly 300 tackles over the last two seasons combined. The biggest reason he’s been able to put up those numbers is his relentless motor and good instincts, which allow him to be in the right spot more often than not.

As a run defender, Higgins is quick to key and diagnose gap and zone runs to beat offensive linemen to the spot and create opportunities to get unblocked tackles. This can cause him issues against read options, as he’ll get over-aggressive and be out of position, but that shouldn’t be as big of a problem in the NFL, where traditional handoffs are more common.

The biggest question mark about the Hawyeke’s ability to play the run is how well he can stack and shed. He has solid strength and takes on blocks with his hands, but he has shorter arms, limiting how much extension he can get. That could cause him to get swallowed up by offensive linemen at the next level so he’ll need to develop a move to escape.

In coverage, Higgins is best when playing zone. He has the eye discipline to locate threats and isn’t a robot in coverage, recognizing opportunities where he can help teammates instead of covering grass. Also, he stays deep in his area to play it back to front and bait throws while also showing good linear speed to click and close.

However, Higgins’ lateral movement skills are sub-par which causes him issues in man coverage against running backs and tight ends. With that, he’d be best as an inside linebacker in a zone-heavy scheme.

GRADE: 7.1 (High-Level Backup/Potential Starter — 3rd Round)

PRO COMPARISON: Micah McFadden

Prospect workout numbers, measurables (40-yard dash, hand size, etc.) and 2024 statistics will be added at a later date.