Even if you've received all of your vaccinations, one thing that NFL fans are generally not immune to is hyperbole. When you're emotionally invested to the degree that sickos like myself are, it's awfully easy to get carried away and say things that those in a proper frame of mind never would.
But what happens when someone who has removed bias from the equation says something we've been thinking? Then isn't it okay to speak it into existence just as they did?
Let's put that to the test.
Texans fans could easily look at the body -- and body of work -- of first-year receiver Jayden Higgins and make all sorts of bold proclamations about his NFL future. It would be easy to be enticed to compare Higgins to any number of big-bodied wide receivers who have come before him. You don't need me to tell you the names... they've all crossed your mind before.
But one man who will say one of those names is five-time All-Pro wide receiver Steve Smith Sr., who went as far as comparing Higgins to one of the best receivers of Smith's era, and even beyond that, one of the best wide receivers to ever play professional football.
"He damn sure has those traits like a Larry Fitzgerald," Smith told NFL insider James Palmer. "You just know when you're throwing him the football, snag it, high points the ball, does a great job."
Beyond those physical traits that Smith mentioned, Palmer took it one step further, noting that the way people within the Texans organization talk about Jayden Higgins is how members of the Arizona Cardinals once discussed Larry Fitzgerald.
"Fitz is an interesting name to bring up. But when you think about it, and I talked to people in Houston, he's really coachable, he's got really good length to him, he's got route versatility inside and out," Palmer added. "Understands space really well, has a good feel for where he's at on the football field."
What's really interesting about the Larry Fitzgerald comp is that he's not the only Texans wide receiver who has similarities to the soon-to-be Hall of Famer. Much like Larry Fitzgerald was an inspiration for Higgins, Fitz was also one of the receivers that Nico Collins once modeled his game after as well, and when the Texans selected Higgins in the 2025 NFL Draft, one of the concerns that some outsiders had about the pick was that maybe there was too much overlap with the skillsets and body types of Collins and Higgins.
Frankly, this doesn't seem like an overwhelming concern to me. Collins has proven to be one of the best wideouts in the NFL over the last three seasons, and Higgins performed just fine as a rookie, really coming into his own down the stretch of the season.
Of course, there's no way to tell if Jayden Higgins is on his way to a Hall of Fame career. Even the individuals who are most prone to hyperbole would probably slow play that assertion. However, if you compare Higgins' 2025 stats to those of Larry Fitzgerald during his rookie season, there's reason to believe that a big year two jump could be coming Higgins' way.
Jayden Higgins, Rookie Season - 41 receptions, 525 yards, 6 touchdowns
Larry Fitzgerald, Rookie Season - 58 receptions, 780 yards, 8 touchdowns
Larry Fitzgerald, Second Season - 103 receptions, 1,409 yards, 10 touchdowns
For a second, let's assume that Higgins' numbers follow the same sort of trajectory as Fitzgerald's did from year one to year two. That means we can pencil Jayden Higgins in for the following numbers in 2026:
74 receptions, 945 yards, 8 touchdowns
With Nico Collins still in the picture, Tank Dell returning from injury and Jaylin Noel a breakout candidate as well, the Texans offense could potentially be drastically improved in 2026.