Boise State v. Hawaii: Five NFL draft prospects to watch

16

John Hightower Wide Receiver

Scouting Report

The 2020 wide receiver class is absolutely loaded and because of it, it makes it easy to overlook prospects; this is the case for John Hightower. Earlier in the year, Hightower was featured in an article from the Athletic‘s, Dane Brugler, highlighting players that could potentially be drafted in the first round even though they are falling “under-the-radar”.

When you turn on the tape, you can immediately see why; he has the speed and acceleration that will attract the NFL. Not only can he blast right by cornerbacks, but he is an able mover laterally that translates in his route running. He is an intelligent route runner who knows how to get the cornerback’s hips turned, getting him out of position just enough for Hightower to break and create an abundance of separation.

Hightower isn’t just a deep threat, he can make plays with the ball in his — at times can dance around too much — and is a big play just waiting to happen. In fact, against the Nevada Wolfpack last season (2018), Hightower took a jet sweep 88-yards to the house displaying his long speed as seen in the video below.

Standing 6’2″, he provides a large catch radius and he uses every bit of it. He attacks the ball at its highest point and has the natural, strong hands to come down with the ball. He doesn’t have elite tracking when the ball is in the air, but he has the body control to make the back shoulder catches.

His weight — 172 pounds — will cause some decision-makers to be hesitant whether or not they want to select him as high as the first round, but he’s shown the necessary skills to break press coverage, with both his hands and his release.