5 Best Cleveland Browns 5th-round picks since 1999
By Mitch Zoloty
No. 5: Wide Receiver, Rashard Higgins (2016-?)
Claiming the number five spot on this list is former Colorado State wide receiver Rashard Higgins. Higgins is a personal favorite of mine, and someone who I hope will be on the Browns roster in 2020, but it seems more than likely that his time in Cleveland is over. Higgins has been a productive depth piece for the Browns since entering the NFL, having his best season in 2018.
More from Dawg Pound Daily
- How the Browns could maximize Nick Chubb in 2023
- Can Deshaun Watson get to Patrick Mahomes level for Cleveland Browns?
- 3 Cleveland Browns who should see an expanded role in 2023 and 1 who should not
- Is Marcus Davenport on the Browns radar in 2023?
- 5 Free agents from Super Bowl LVII Cleveland Browns should target
He has consistently played the WR3 role on the Browns, providing a great target for whoever his quarterback has been. Higgins and Baker Mayfield found a special connection in 2018, and Higgins seemed like he was primed to have a breakout year in 2019. Notching 572 yards on 39 catches in 2018 along with 4 touchdowns, he provided some great numbers for the role he was given. He was incredibly efficient, as he caught around 74 percent of the passes thrown to him.
His regression in 2019 was significantly more on the coaching staff than himself. Only catching 4 passes for 55 yards and a touchdown in 2019, many Browns fans, including myself, were frustrated with how he was used.
In total, so far for his career with the Browns, he has produced 1016 yards and 7 touchdowns on 76 catches over four seasons, catching 60.3 percent of the passes thrown his way. Considering that a majority of the 5th round picks don’t usually see their way to the end of their rookie contract with the same team, he was a very successful draft pick for the Browns 2016 draft class.
He probably had the second-best career with the Browns out of his draft class, behind linebacker Joe Schobert. Higgins has also had a more successful NFL career than the other 3 receivers the Browns drafted in 2016, those being Corey Coleman, Ricardo Louis, and Jordan Payton.