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Houston Texans take Iowa State’s Jayden Higgins with 34th overall pick in 2025 NFL Draft
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IOWA CITY — Jayden Higgins did not have to wait long on Friday to find his NFL home.
The Houston Texans selected the Iowa State wide receiver with the 34th overall pick in the second round of the NFL draft.
He is the first Cyclone — and the first player from any school in the state of Iowa — off the board at this year’s draft in Green Bay, Wis. He is the fifth wide receiver drafted this year, following Colorado’s Travis Hunter, Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan, Ohio State’s Emeka Egbuka and Texas’ Matthew Golden.
Higgins spent two seasons at Eastern Kentucky before transferring to Iowa State ahead of the 2023 season. He had a career-high 87 receptions for 1,183 yards and nine touchdowns in 2024 on his way to earning third-team Associated Press All-America and second-team all-Big 12 honors.
He also was the Big 12’s offensive newcomer of the year in 2023, when he had 53 receptions for 983 yards and six touchdowns.
Houston’s selection of Higgins extends Iowa State’s streak to five consecutive years with at least one player drafted.
Comments: john.steppe@thegazette.com
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