‘I see a lot of me in him’ — Tee Higgins confirms one of the easiest player comparisons on the Bengals’ roster, and is embracing it
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins sees the obvious, and not so obvious, when it comes to rookie wideout Colbie Young.
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins sees the obvious, and not so obvious, when it comes to rookie wideout Colbie Young.
Both are big-bodied, 6-4 receivers with high-pointing and yards-after-catch ability. That’s evident on tape, but Higgins is also noticing similarities between the ears.
Tee Higgins taking Colbie Young under his wing
Higgins’ exposure to Young has only come within the last couple weeks. Cincinnati’s offseason program hasn’t even hit OTAs yet, and Higgins has been in and out of team workouts.
His first impressions of his new teammate, however, make him nostalgic.
“I see a lot of me in him. From my rookie year for sure,” Higgins told Bengals.com’s Geoff Hobson. “He’s quiet. That’s how I was. Quiet guy, but he speaks when he needs to. He’s got raw talent. . .He’s got all the tools. . .Good hands. He’s a really good route runner. Just a few things that I see. What he can work on.
“I saw that in myself when I was his age.”
When Higgins was Young’s age, he had already played in a Super Bowl and was just a yard shy of 2,000 regular season receiving yardage. He had the benefit of entering the NFL at just 21. Young will turn 24 before his first career game in the fall.
With that comes an advantage.
Higgins’ early advice to Young
Young is more physically developed compared to where Higgins was as a rookie at the start of the decade. That comes with the territory of being older and having more time building out his frame in college.
But he can still move well at his size, and Higgins knows opposing cornerbacks have to respect that. Young has already been given that insight from Higgins.
“The body demeanor. Come out like you’re running a go ball every time,” Young said Higgins told him. “They’re already afraid of our size and speed, so make it look like you’re going vertical every time.”
From the moment Cincy drafted Young, the comparison to Higgins made sense. They win similarly, they move similarly, and they seem to mentally operate similarly as well.
Having one Tee Higgins was advantageous enough for the Bengals. Adding an understudy will make them even more dangerous when Young becomes ready to contribute.