UDFA Ravens LB Singled Out as One of NFL’s Best Rookies in Preseason

Every year, there’s a group of players who manage to do what seems to be an almost impossible task from a football standpoint — make an NFL 53-man roster as an undrafted free agent.

Sometimes, it’s those players that can make the difference on a championship team in terms of the little things — the inches teams need to win games.

For the Baltimore Ravens, they may have found one of those players in rookie linebacker Jay Higgins, who appears on track to not only make the team but was singled out by Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski as one of the NFL’s best rookies through the first 2 preseason games.

Higgins led the Ravens with 6 tackles, 1 sack and 1 TFL in a 31-13 preseason win over the Dallas Cowboys on August 16.

“Good football players perform well when they’re playing the game of football,” Sobleski wrote on August 19. ” …  In the first weekend of preseason play, Higgins defended a pair of passes. On Saturday, he led the Ravens with six total tackles, while adding a sack and tackle for loss. The undrafted defender has good instincts, makes solid run fills and shows excellent awareness in zone coverage. Higgins may have a tough time making the Ravens’ active roster, but he clearly knows how to play the game, which should keep him around for awhile.”

NFL teams are required to cut their rosters down to 53 players by 4 p.m. ET on August 26.

Disastrous 40-Yard Dash Time Killed Draft Hopes

If we want to understand why Higgins was passed over in the NFL draft despite a sparkling college career at the University of Iowa – he was Big Ten Linebacker of the Year and an All-American in 2024 — it boils down to 4.82 seconds.

As in Higgins ran his 40-yard dash in 4.82 seconds at the NFL scouting combine in February, which made him essentially undraftable for his position.

“(Higgins) tested poorly prior to the draft, which is particularly damaging for a sub-230-pound linebacker,” Sobleski wrote on July 24. “Still, Higgins understands how to play the position at a high level. He’s going to be in position. He’s going to make plays.
With the Baltimore Ravens, he has a legitimate opportunity to provide immediate depth behind Roquan Smith and Trenton Simpson, even with the organization drafting fellow linebacker Teddye Buchanan.”

Higgins is currently listed as third on the depth chart behind Smith, a 5-time NFL All-Pro, and William Kwenkeu, who has been injured.

Higgins Dominated Big Ten Competition at Iowa

Over his last 2 seasons at Iowa, Higgins was a tackling machine with a combined 341 tackles, 8 TFL, 3 forced fumbles, 3 fumble recoveries, 5 interceptions and 9 pass deflections in 2023 and 2024.

“If I would have got drafted or not, when you report to minicamp, you start from ground zero,” Higgins told the Ravens official website. “For the guys who got drafted, who had good college careers, the moment they stepped out on the field, it’s fair game. Being an undrafted free agent, I understand that. I know I got to go in, prove things. Nothing’s going to be given to me.”