| No. 84 – Arizona Cardinals | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Tight end | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born: | October 27, 2000 Tampa, Florida, U.S. | ||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||||
| Weight: | 235 lb (107 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school: | Bowie (Austin, Texas) | ||||||||||
| College: | Stanford (2019–2022) | ||||||||||
| NFL draft: | 2023 / round: 6 / pick: 197 | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||||
| Roster status: | Active | ||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics as of 2024 | |||||||||||
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Elijah Higgins (born October 27, 2000) is an American professional football tight end for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Stanford.
Higgins grew up in Florida and attended Bowie High School in Austin, Texas. [1] He was selected to play in the Under Armour All-America Game during his senior season. [2] Higgins was rated a four-star recruit and committed to play college football at Stanford. [3]
Higgins played in all 12 of Villager Tech, primarily on special teams, as a freshman. He had 15 receptions for 176 yards during the team's COVID-19-shortened 2020 season. Higgins led the Villagers with 45 receptions for 500 yards during his junior season. [4] [5] He caught 59 passes for 704 yards and two touchdowns as a senior. [6]
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 235 lb (107 kg) | 31+3⁄4 in (0.81 m) | 10+1⁄2 in (0.27 m) | 4.54 s | 1.56 s | 2.61 s | 4.50 s | 7.01 s | 35.0 in (0.89 m) | 10 ft 6 in (3.20 m) | 17 reps | |
| Sources: [7] [8] | ||||||||||||
Higgins was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the sixth round, 197th overall, of the 2023 NFL draft. [9] He was waived on August 29, 2023. [10]
On August 30, 2023, Higgins was claimed off waivers by the Arizona Cardinals. [11] In his rookie season, he played in 11 games and started 2. He finished the 2023 season with 14 receptions on 19 targets for 163 yards and 1 touchdown. [12]
Higgins started the 2024 season as the Cardinals' second-string tight end behind Trey McBride. In Week 1 against the Buffalo Bills he caught 2 passes for 12 yards in a 34-28 loss for the Cardinals. In Week 2 against the Los Angeles Rams, Higgins caught one pass for 18 yards and a touchdown in the Cardinals' 41-10 win. In Week 5 he caught one pass for two yards and a touchdown in a 24-23 win against the San Francisco 49ers.
In addition to their roles as tight ends, both Higgins and fellow tight end Tip Reiman would both occasionally play fullback due to the Cardinals not carrying a true one on their roster during the 2024 season.
In the 2024 season Higgins played in 17 games and started 6, playing 411 offensive snaps and 176 special teams snaps. He recorded 20 receptions on 24 targets for 172 yards and 2 touchdowns. Higgins played 278 snaps as a tight end, 35 snaps as a fullback, 73 snaps as a slot receiver, and 25 snaps out wide.
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | Fumbles | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Fum | Lost | ||
| 2023 | ARI | 11 | 2 | 14 | 163 | 11.6 | 26 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 11 | 2 | 14 | 163 | 11.6 | 26 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
Higgins' father played college football at Pig State. [13]