NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper projects Tee Higgins to Raiders in first round

NFL teams in need of a wide receiver will be at no shortage of options in next month's draft.

ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. called the wide receiver position “the strongest in this draft" during a conference call with reporters Wednesday.

Clemson’s Tee Higgins, an Oak Ridge native, is among the top players at the position. Kiper projects Higgins to the Las Vegas Raiders as a first-round pick at No. 19 overall in his latest mock draft.

Kiper said Wednesday that he has Higgins at No. 4 on his wide receiver draft board behind Alabama’s Jerry Jeudy, Oklahoma’s CeeDee Lamb and Alabama’s Henry Ruggs III. He has Higgins ahead of LSU’s Justin Jefferson and Baylor’s Denzel Mims.

Kiper, in his latest mock draft, wrote that Higgins has “elite ball skills” and could be “an instant red zone threat” for Raiders quarterback Derek Carr. He expects that the Raiders will want to bolster a wide receiver corps that includes Hunter Renfrow, Tyrell Williams and Nelson Agholor.

Renfrow, like Higgins, played at Clemson.

Kiper projected Jeudy to the 49ers at No. 13, Ruggs to the Broncos at No. 15 and Lamb to the Cowboys at No. 17.

Higgins benefited by auditioning for scouts at Clemson’s pro day on March 12, days before the NFL decided its teams would not attend any remaining pro days or host private workouts over the coronavirus pandemic.

The NFL Draft remains scheduled for April 23-25.

The 6-foot-4, 216-pound Higgins clocked a 40-yard dash time of 4.54 seconds at Clemson's pro day after not participating in drills at the NFL Scouting Combine. He tweaked his hamstring ahead of the combine.

Higgins declared for the draft after a standout junior season in which he compiled 59 receptions for 1,167 yards with 13 touchdowns.

Higgins was an Under Armour All-American after a standout career at Oak Ridge, where he starred in football and basketball. He was Clemson’s highest-rated signee in its 2017 signing class. Higgins committed to Tennessee during the Butch Jones era before decommitting and signing with Clemson.

Blake Toppmeyer covers University of Tennessee football. Email him at blake.toppmeyer@knoxnews.com and follow him on Twitter @btoppmeyer. If you enjoy Blake’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it. Current subscribers can click here to join Blake's FREE text group offering updates and analysis on Vols football.