A pair of former Clemson wide receivers are ranked among the NFL’s best entering the 2026 season, one a standout veteran and the other a talented rookie.

Pro Football Focus (PFF) tabbed Tee Higgins as the No. 19 receiver in the league.

Higgins is coming off his first career Pro Bowl selection last season and is now heading into his seventh season with the Cincinnati Bengals. In 15 games last year, the 6-foot-4, 220-pounder registered 59 receptions for 846 yards, and he tied for second in the NFL with his 11 touchdown receptions – a career high — despite missing a couple of games due to concussions.

Since being selected by the Bengals in the second round (33rd overall pick) of the 2020 NFL Draft, Higgins has caught 389 passes for 5,441 yards and 45 touchdowns across 85 career regular season games. He has recorded at least 900 receiving yards in four of his first six seasons, including back-to-back 1,000-yard campaigns in 2021 and 2022. Higgins has also appeared in seven playoff games and ranks second in Bengals history in both postseason receptions (31) and postseason receiving yards (457).

“Higgins ranks fourth among wide receivers with 21 receiving touchdowns over the past two regular seasons,” PFF’s Dalton Wasserman and Max Chadwick wrote. “When healthy, he is a major reason for Cincinnati’s success, as evidenced by his 80.2 PFF receiving grade, which ranked 17th among qualified wide receivers last season. If Higgins can maintain that level of production while playing all 17 games, the Bengals could easily find themselves back in the postseason.”

Meanwhile, CBS Sports ranked Clemson’s Antonio Williams as the seventh-best rookie wideout based on projected 2026 impact. He was selected by the Washington Commanders in the third round of April’s NFL Draft with the No. 71 overall pick.

Williams was a two-time All-ACC selection who recorded 2,336 yards and 21 touchdowns on 208 career receptions over 43 games (38 starts) from 2022-25. He exited Clemson ranked fourth in school history in career receptions and tied with Mike Williams for the fourth-most career touchdown receptions in school history.

In 2025, Williams caught 55 passes for 604 yards and four touchdowns over 10 games. The 5-foot-11, 195-pounder also rushed 13 times for 78 yards and a touchdown, completed a 75-yard touchdown pass and gained 44 yards on four punt returns en route to third-team All-ACC honors.

“Williams was a steal for Washington,” CBS Sports’ Josh Edwards wrote. “His capabilities surpass where he was taken in the draft. Aside from the potential addition of Brandon Aiyuk, which now looks less likely given recent social media posts, the Commanders’ depth chart is wide open for Williams to make an impact alongside Terry McLaurin. Dyami Brown, Luke McCaffrey, Jaylin Lane and Treylon Burks are others competing for a similar target share.

“Williams is predominantly a slot receiver who can create yardage in the short to intermediate portions of the field. CBS Sports’ fantasy football experts project 48 receptions for 678 yards and four touchdowns.”

Williams and the Commanders open the 2026 regular season on the road against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, Sept. 13, while Higgins and the Bengals kick off their campaign at home against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the same date.