Karan

Higdon Jr.

Higdon (5’9/206) was a two-year starter and three-year lead back for Jim Harbaugh’s Wolverines, amassing a career 471/2,616/27 (5.6 YPC) rushing line and 16/177/0 receiving. Higdon blazed 4.49 at the Combine as a well above-par athlete but lacks special playmaking ability and struggles in the passing game, typically a death knell for undersized running backs.

Zierlein describes Higdon (5'9/206) as a “what you see is what you get” player with “good vision and consistent physicality in his approach.” Higdon improved statistically each year with 1,178 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns as a senior. He wasn’t utilized much in the passing game with just 16 career receptions but that may have been more of a product of Michigan’s offense rather than his ability. Higdon turned in a 53rd percentile SPARQ athletic composite score at the NFL Scouting Combine and will likely be selected at some point on Day 3 in the NFL Draft.

Higdon (5'9/206) makes for an interesting potential Day 3 prospect, as he is a smaller back, but one who plays with a nice physicality. And speed, as Friday’s run would point to. He helped himself in Indianapolis, no caveats. Beyond his 40-yard scamper, Higdon has also turned in respectable marks in the bench press (21 reps) and broad jump (123 inches). Michigan’s offense swallowed him up with its unsexiness during his time in Ann Arbor, but he’s got a few things going for him as a pro prospect.

Higdon (5'9/203) got mixed results from his work at the Senior Bowl over the week and at the game, but Senior Bowl director Jim Nagy listed the tailback as one of the members of his “all-value” team. “I like Higdon a lot and think he will be an excellent mid-round pickup for someone,” writes Farrell. Testing will be massive for Higdon, but it certainly is possible that he works himself into the high Day 3 area with a good week in Indianapolis.

Higdon (5'9/203) was largely forgettable at Senior Bowl practices and he only had 18 rushing yards in the game, so this listing by Nagy is surprising. Where Higdon needs to make some noise as at the NFL Combine or else he risks being a Round 6 or 7 prospect. For now, Higdon is closer to the Round 5 range after clearing the 900-yard mark in back to back seasons for the Wolverines.

Higdon (5'9/203) got some early touches for the North, but was mostly forgettable. Unfortunately, that’s along the lines of the reports we heard from Mobile this week. Higdon projected as a late-round pick combing into the Senior Bowl, and he leaves with the same chances. The combine will be huge for the former Wolverine.

While Higdon is undersized on the height front, he is not a back to be easily tossed around. Of his 203-pound weigh-in, NFL.com’s Chase Goodbread wrote to Twitter that the Michigan product "[l]ooks like he was born in the weight room.” The Draft Network’s Kyle Crabbs, meanwhile, believes that Higdon may ease some concerns about durability with his measurements in Mobile.

Higdon (5'10/202) will be skipping his team’s Peach Bowl matchup with Florida in order to begin his prep for the 2019 NFL Draft. That process will get started in earnest for the senior at January’s end, as he’s accepted an invitation to play in the Senior Bowl upcoming. That makes three notables at UM who will not be suiting up for a date with the Gators, as star DL Rashan Gary and LB Devin Bush have already likewise decided to sit out the game. Unlike Higdon -- a likely Day 3 selection -- Gary and Bush are both potential top-10 selections.

Higdon (5'10/202) will be launching into the predraft evaluation season coming off his best overall campaign in the collegiate ranks. The senior back has rushed for 1,178 yards (5.3 YPC) and 10 touchdowns over the course of 11 games played on the year. As for his draft profile, The Draft Network’s Kyle Crabbs noted over the summer that Higdon "[p]airs potent burst with a violent and aggressive demeanor in high traffic areas” while cautioning that his style could be a physically taxing one given his somewhat slight frame. The UM product figures to be in the mix for a Day 3 selection come the spring draft.

“Yeah, I do,” Higdon said when asked if he guaranteed the victory, in a video by Toledo Blade writer Kyle Rowland. “That how I feel. I believe firmly in my brothers, and this team, and this coaching staff, and as a captain, I’ll take that stand. Why not?” Higdon and the Wolverines are a couple of wins from the playoffs, and one of the reasons for that is Higdon, who is over a thousand yards with 10 touchdowns in 2018. They haven’t beaten the Buckeyes since 2018, however, and with the game in Columbus, it might not be as easy as Higdon thinks.