Where do former Clemson stars Trevor Lawrence and Tee Higgins stand among the top players in the NFL at their respective positions?
Pro Football Focus (PFF) ranked all 32 starting quarterbacks and the top 32 wide receivers ahead of the 2025 NFL season.
Entering his fifth season with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Lawrence landed at No. 16 in PFF’s quarterback rankings and was grouped in Tier 3b, which PFF described as “solid starters, but they need more help.”
“Trevor Lawrence might be the biggest wild card in this tier,” PFF’s John Kosko wrote. “The talent is undeniable, but he’s yet to show the consistent high-level play needed to elevate himself and the Jaguars into the NFL’s elite. His 79.7 overall grade in 2023 was a career high, and now he’ll have Brian Thomas Jr. and Travis Hunter as his top targets with Liam Coen taking over as offensive coordinator.”
Last season, Lawrence completed 60.6 percent of his passes for 2,045 yards with 11 touchdown passes and seven interceptions in 10 games before being placed on injured reserve following his shoulder injury and concussion. He has been rehabbing from December surgery to repair the AC joint sprain in his left (non-throwing) shoulder.
Since being drafted with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, Lawrence has completed 63.3 percent of his passes for 13,815 yards and 69 touchdowns with 46 interceptions in 60 games over his first four NFL seasons. The Jaguars signed Lawrence to a five-year, $275 million contract extension prior to the 2024 season.
Higgins, meanwhile, came in at No. 14 in PFF’s wide receiver rankings. He was grouped in Tier 3 with Mike Evans of the Buccaneers, Terry McLaurin of the Commanders, Drake London of the Falcons, Malik Nabers of the Giants, Garrett Wilson of the Jets, Brian Thomas Jr. of the Jaguars and Davante Adams of the Rams.
“In a contract year, Higgins posted a career-high receiving grade of 88.3,” PFF’s Trevor Sikkema wrote. “He primarily operates as an “X” receiver, but he excels in that role. Since entering the league in 2020, his 71 contested catches rank among the top five at the position.”
After playing on the franchise tag in 2024, Higgins got a long-term deal with the Cincinnati Bengals this offseason, agreeing to a four-year, $115 million contract extension that made him the ninth highest-paid receiver in the league in terms of average annual value ($28,750,000).
Higgins missed a handful of games during the 2024 campaign due to injury but was once again highly productive when healthy, posting 73 receptions for 911 yards and 10 touchdowns across 12 games.
It marked the fourth time in his five NFL seasons that Higgins has tallied 900-plus receiving yards. He had back-to-back 1,000-yard receiving seasons in 2021 and 2022.
Since being drafted by the Bengals in the second round (33rd overall) of the 2020 NFL Draft, Higgins has amassed 330 catches for 4,595 yards and 34 touchdowns over 70 games.