Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins told Adam Schein of Mad Dog Sports Radio that was convinced he was going to be drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the first round of the 2020 NFL draft.
General manager Brian Gutekunst traded up to No. 26 overall – one spot after receiver Brandon Aiyuk went to San Francisco and four spots after receiver Justin Jefferson went to Minnesota – and took quarterback Jordan Love, shocking the NFL world and beginning a three-year-long drama in Green Bay.
Higgins, a common mock draft for the Packers during the leadup to the 2020 draft, would have been a logical pick for the receiver-needy franchise.
“I thought they were going to draft me in that spot,” Higgins told Schein. “But they didn’t and I fell to the second round, which I’m ok with.”
Higgins went No. 33 overall to the Bengals. Over the last three seasons, Higgins has 215 catches, 3,028 yards and 19 touchdowns, including back-to-back seasons with 1,000 or more receiving yards.
“I fell like in a perfect situation with Cincinnati and Joe Burrow,” Higgins said.
While Higgins has put up big numbers, Love has spent the last three seasons on the bench behind Aaron Rodgers.
Here’s the clip:
"I thought they were going to draft me in that spot." #Bengals superstar @teehiggins5 tells @AdamSchein he thought the #Packers were going to take him in the 2020 NFL Draft.
LISTEN⬇️⬇️⬇️ pic.twitter.com/dwyAGbIqFO
— Mad Dog Sports Radio (@MadDogRadio) February 10, 2023