Iowa State wide receiver Jayden Higgins is one of the top players at his position in the 2025 NFL Draft class. He is widely projected to be a second-round pick, and ahead of the big day for receivers, let’s get to know his parents, Moses Higgins and Holly Poole.
Meet Jayden Higgins’ Parents, Moses Higgins and Holly Poole
Jayden Higgins was born on Dec. 15, 2002, to his parents, Moses and Poole, in Cobb County, Ga. While information about his mother’s professional life isn’t available in the public domain, his father is self-employed in business, as per his Facebook profile.
Higgins’ parents have played a pivotal role in his rise to the top of the draft boards, evident by the fact one of the reasons he was recruited by Iowa State was because of his parents.
“I liked his parents,” Cyclones HC Nate Scheelhaase explained to 247Sports of what he remembered from recruiting Higgins out of the transfer portal after the 2022 season. “That’s the first and foremost.”
Higgins attended Westminster Christian School in Palmetto Bay, Fla., and posted 23 receptions for 430 receiving yards and five touchdowns in five games as a senior. He played his first two seasons of college football for the Eastern Kentucky Colonels, recording 87 receptions for 1,151 yards and 13 touchdowns before transferring to Iowa State, where he truly broke out on NFL teams’ radar.
In his first season with the Cyclones, Higgins recorded a career-high 983 receiving yards and six touchdowns on 53 receptions. He topped the 1,000 yards as a senior, posting 1,183 yards and nine touchdowns. Known for his efficient route running, he is deemed a “big-name ‘value’ pick at wide receiver” by PFSN analyst Dalton Miller.
Miller’s Scouting Report on Higgins
Here’s what Miller, who expects Higgins to be a late Day 2 or early Day 3 pick, wrote in his scouting report on the receiver:
“Higgins possesses prototypical length and frame density for an ‘X’ receiver at the NFL level. But his calling card is actually his fluidity and manipulative predisposition on intermediate routes that has elevated his standing in the class. Despite being nearly 220 pounds, the Cyclones wide receiver separates well at the college level through fluidity and deception.
“The other reason why draftniks love him is the sheer diversity of his route tree. Iowa State’s offense mimicked that of a 14-year-old quarterback’s iPad. They seemingly drew random lines and shapes for Higgins to try when isolated on the backside of 4×1 sets. He’s a naturally deceptive double-move receiver, and some of his secondary releases force off defenders into the spin cycle.
“What could legitimately get him on the field early in his NFL career is his blocking ability. Higgins adequately uses his length to win leverage battles against shorter-armed defensive backs. Additionally, his hands remain active and he understands how to use a defender’s momentum against them while also not keeping ahold of too much jersey to attract zebra attention.
“Although fluid, Higgins lacks the explosiveness to consistently threaten on the vertical plane. This allows confident defensive backs with NFL-level reactive athleticism to crowd the long-limbed receiver. Without an adequate vertical threat that horizontally fluidity can only take him so far against competent NFL cornerbacks.
“It’s particularly problematic because his footwork is inefficient coming back to the football. There is a lot of wasted motion while trying to gear down and drive back to the football. While he can technically improve this area, it appears his hip and ankle flexibility might have a fall-off point at anything past 90 degrees.
“Higgins must improve his ability to shield and maximize his anatomical length to finish crowded catches. There will be far less separation at the next level, and although his length is partially his trump card, he must more consistently maximize said reach to finish catches instead of letting it get further into his frame.”
