Houston Texans’ picks of Jayden Higgins, Jaylin Noel follow other Iowa State wide receiver’s recent success

CEDAR RAPIDS — Houston Texans general manager Nick Caserio was on the phone with Iowa State football coach Matt Campbell on Friday and “went through some of the players on their team.”

“He was effusive in his, I’d say, belief and praise of both (Jayden) Higgins and (Jaylin) Noel,” Caserio said, referring to Iowa State’s two standout wide receivers from last season.

Hours later, Higgins and Noel both were officially Texans — Higgins in the second round with the 34th overall pick, and Noel in the third round with the 79th overall pick.

“What Coach Campbell says carries a lot of weight,” Caserio said.

It helps that Caserio’s last pick of an Iowa State player was a success. Houston selected Iowa State wide receiver Xavier Hutchinson in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL draft with the 205th overall pick.

Hutchinson has since appeared in 32 games over the last two seasons, including three starts in 2024. He had 12 receptions in the 2024 regular season and then had arguably his best performance in the Texans’ divisional round loss to the Chiefs. Hutchinson had four receptions on six targets for 52 yards.

“Coach Campbell was spot-on about Hutch, and Hutch has been outstanding for our program,” Caserio said. “He’s been one of the best teammates, embraces his role, works his ass off — everything you want.”

Houston now has three Iowa State alumni at its wide receiver position.

It’s especially notable considering Iowa State has not traditionally been a school known for producing NFL-caliber wide receivers. The only other wide receiver drafted in the Campbell era was Hakeem Butler in 2019 (although Allen Lazard has succeeded in the NFL as well after going undrafted in 2018).

Before that, the last Iowa State wide receiver to be drafted was Tracy Henderson in 1985 — back when Campbell was 5 years old.

As for the 2025 Cyclone wide receivers drafted, Higgins and Noel add two different skill sets to Houston.

Higgins, at 6-foot-4 and 214 pounds, was one of the bigger and more physical wide receivers at this year’s combine.

“Just a big target,” Texans Coach DeMeco Ryans said about Higgins. “I know a lot of people say very similar to Nico (Collins) and what he’s able to do. But you get a receiver of his stature and with his catch radius — just opens up a lot of things for us offensively that I know all of our guys are excited about.”

Noel, at 5-10 and 194 pounds, was among the faster wide receivers at the combine with a 4.39-second 40-yard dash.

“Jaylin’s a really good football player,” Caserio said. “Inside receiver, plays outside of formations, is a punt returner, handles the ball. He’s tough. … We got some feedback from some teams, just unsolicited. Literally one of the best 30-man visits — this is after the draft — that they had.”

Looking ahead, it is clear that Caserio — after his fifth draft as the GM of the Texans — has “a lot of faith and confidence” in what he hears from Campbell. Caserio is not the only NFL executive to heap Iowa State’s praises either.

San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch — the beneficiary of former Iowa State quarterback Brock Purdy’s success — said last week the Cyclones “do a tremendous job.”

“You know what you’re getting when you get an Iowa State player,” Lynch said.

Comments: john.steppe@thegazette.com