Jayden Higgins could be a star with the Houston Texans as their new No. 2 weapon.

Former Pro Bowl receiver Steve Smith Sr. is counting on it.

Smith, the legendary slot target for the Carolina Panthers and Baltimore Ravens over his 13-year career, couldn’t contain his excitement when the Iowa State weapon came off the board Friday night with the No. 34 overall pick. With a combination of size, speed and strong strong hands, Smith believes that the former Cyclone to terrorize the AFC South as perhaps the next great secondary force opposite Nico Collins for C.J. Stroud.

“We’ve been seeing a lot of comments in here saying, ‘hey, [Higgins] is my sleeper, this is my sleeper,'” Smith said during the livestream of Underdog Fantasy’s YouTube Channel. “This isn’t my sleeper, because I’m wide awake watching his film.

“Great job of separation, can get in and out of breaks and then drop his weight. Has the ability to be physical at the line of scrimmage, he fights through contact.”

All points were solid from Smith. Higgins’ consistent play in both 2023 and 2024 helped Iowa State return to the Big 12 title game under Matt Campbell was producing one of the conference’s top passing attacks. In 13 games last season, the 6-foot-4 target caught a career-high 87 passes for 1,183 yards and nine touchdowns.

In 2023, he finished with just under 1,000 yards and six touchdowns. And before that, during his two years at Eastern Kentucky, Higgins combined for 86 catches, 1,110-plus yards and 13 TDs.

Smith mentioned that his game mirrors Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillian, who went eighth overall to the Carolina Panthers as Bryce Young’s new weapon, though the five-time Pro Bowler gave a slight edge to Higgins in several areas that could make him a bigger impact Year 1.

“I think that’s with [Higgins] I think that’s the difference that makes him such a unique football player,” Smith said. “Yes, he’s tall but he actually plays to his strength and his height versus some of the other guys who are a little bit taller who are not.”

“I think somebody is gonna sneak into the 1st round and take [Jayden Higgins]” – @JamesPalmerTV

Steve Smith breaks down what Higgins does well and compares him to another projected 1st-round WR: pic.twitter.com/scExHqrDLe

— Underdog NFL (@UnderdogNFL) April 6, 2025

The Texans‘ pass game regressed for Stroud in Year despite featuring one of the better trio of talents on paper. Pro Bowler Stefon Diggs suffered a torn ACL in Week 8’s win over the Colts, limiting him to just 496 receiving yards and four touchdowns. Tank Dell suffered a lower body injury in Week 16 that will likely keep him sidelined for all of the 2025 season. Even Collins, who finished with over 1,000 yards for the secodn straight season, missed five games due to a hamstring injury.

General manager Nick Caserio ensured Houston wouldn’t be without weapons because of injury entering the offseason. The Texans traded for Jacksonville’s Christian Kirk and signed both Braxton Berrios and Justin Watson to one-year deals. Higgins, along with fellow teammate Jaylin Noel and Iowa tight end Luke Lachey, should be upgrades in a crucial Year 3, though the first receiver taken on Day 2 might end up being the No. 1 player fans talk about this fall.