Christian Wilkins, Tee Higgins make Top 7 of ESPN's top NFL free agents |
Two Clemson pros are in the Top 7 of
ESPN's top NFL free agents for the upcoming offseason.
Three total Clemson pros made the Top 50 list, led by Miami's Christian Wilkins at No. 5. "Wilkins has the position versatility to produce in multiple NFL fronts; he can align as a 3-technique, play nose tackle or even slide to the edge. He's an explosive mover off the ball with the lateral juice to impact both the run and pass defense. Wilkins recorded 9 sacks, 35 pressures and 63 tackles this season," ESPN's Matt Bowen said. Cincinnati's Tee Higgins is next at No. 7. "The 6-foot-4 target can produce at all three levels of the route tree, making him our top wide receiver in free agency. Higgins has 24 touchdowns over four seasons, along with two 1,000-yard seasons -- despite sharing targets in the Bengals' offense with Ja'Marr Chase. He has the inside/outside alignment flexibility and vertical stretch traits to post high-end numbers as a volume pass-catcher," said Bowen. Pro Football Focus has Higgins on its top list of offensive free agents also. "Unlike most names on this list, 2023 was a significant down year for Higgins, which can be viewed as concerning," PFF's Jonathan Macri said, "but there were also injury reasons for his unproductive year, both to himself and his star quarterback. When looking at Higgins’ body of work through his rookie contract, it shouldn’t surprise anyone if 2023 turns out to be an outlier in a strong NFL career. Through his first three seasons, Higgins posted at least 900 receiving yards each year with back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons heading into 2023. Unfortunately, Higgins managed just 656 receiving yards across 12 games this past year — five of which were without Joe Burrow under center. "Whether he re-signs with the Cincinnati Bengals or finds a new home, Higgins should be considered among the very best the 2024 free agency class has to offer. He is projected to earn about $21M per year, according to the PFF free agency tracker, which would put him among the top-10 paid players at his position." Back on ESPN's list, Cincinnati's DJ Reader rounds out the Clemson pros at No. 32. "A season-ending quad injury pushes Reader down in our ranks, but we know the 6-foot-3, 335-pounder could boost multiple fronts across the league. He wins with leverage, power and pad level at the point of attack, and he can get up on the toes of opposing quarterbacks as an interior pass-rusher (15 pressures in 2023)," Bowen said.
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