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Elijah Higgins – May 12, 2023 Download PDF version

Friday, May 12, 2023

TE Elijah Higgins

(Has Assistant Head Coach/Tight Ends Jon Embree given you any homework assignments?) – “Yeah, I got the playbook a couple of days ago, so I’ve been digging into that. Obviously learning a few different roles I’m not quite used to. But it has been fun so far and I’m excited for this first practice.”

(Are you studying tape of any particular tight ends that Jon Embree has recommended or that you’ve thought of on your own?) – “Yeah, we’ve been watching a lot of (George) Kittle tape. Obviously he was there with the 49ers. Then I’m going to watch the guys here, in the system that we run, seeing how they do it and emulating that.”

(Have you had to juggle Stanford exams or work while doing this the last two weeks?) – “No, I’m off from school right now. I’m off duty.”

(With this transition, when did it first get brought up to you as a possibility for your NFL career?) – “My senior year of high school.”

(So everybody wanted to convert you to tight end?) – “It was a talk for sure. A lot of teams were recruiting me, I guess, as a receiver. But obviously it became more real these past few months.”

(What were the talks like at Stanford regarding that?) – “I ended up playing a big slot role, so it was essentially very similar to a flexed-out F tight end minus all of the blocking assignments. That will carry over for sure but obviously we’re going to have to learn how to block on the interior.”

(What sticks out to you about the wide zone scheme, specifically the role of the tight end?) – “I’m excited, to be honest. I still don’t know too much. The practice plays that we are running right now are pretty minute and pretty straight-forward, so we’ll see how it feels today.”

(If you’ve had any questions the past two weeks, have you texted either Jon Embree or TE Durham Smythe or anyone? Or have you just been saving them?) – “A little bit of both. I’ve been in contact with Coach Embree and asking him questions here and there, just trying to earn my respect here on the field and do my best job.”

(The teams you visited, how many planned to move you to tight end?) – “I would say like 28 out of 32. A rough estimate.”

(So the first time you heard the words tight end from someone’s mouth, going back to high school, you thought what?) – “In high school, I wanted to play receiver. In college, I knew that was – seeing how my body transitioned through the years, I definitely got excited for it because I think it definitely fits my skill set pretty well.”

(So how close are you to being TE George Kittle right now?) – “(laughter) Far from it. I haven’t even had my first practice yet. So far from it.”

(Do you feel like you have to put on some pounds?) – “Not necessarily. I’m definitely going to try to get upwards of 240-245 going into training camp and try to maintain that. We’ll just see how my body feels. If I’m able to do things that I’m doing right now at 238, I’m cool with that. If not – obviously you’ve got professionals in here, so listening to them to see what they say about it as well.”

(There’s some overlap obviously playing in the slot and tight end, but is this the first time in your life you will officially be a tight end?) – “Yes, sir.”

(How close are you to getting your degree and what is your degree in?) – “My degree is in psychology and I’m about two-and-a-half classes away from getting it.”

(So when do you plan to finish?) – “Offseason.”

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