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Higgins, who grew up rooting for the Bengals,
had 1,167 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns last season and is
already familiar with Burrow's game, having faced his now team
mate in last year's national championship game.
The 21-year-old Higgins will benefit from playing under
seven-time Pro Bowl receiver AJ Green as the Bengals look to
revitalize the struggling franchise, which has gone 29 seasons
without a playoff victory, the longest active streak in the NFL.
"We're about to tear it up, you just watch and see," a smiling
Higgins said.
"And we've got Joe at quarterback? Come on now. We're gonna go
crazy."
The Bengals weren't the only franchise in the market for
receivers on Friday.
The Colts selected towering USC wideout Michael Pittman
immediately after Higgins was taken off the board, giving
quarterback Philip Rivers a big target next season when he takes
the reigns in Indianapolis.
The Detroit Lions then added a potent offensive weapon of their
own in the form of explosive Georgia running back D'Andre Swift.
Two dynamic safeties -- Xavier McKinney of Alabama and Kyle
Dugger of Lenoir-Rhyne -- rounded out the first five picks of
the second round after being selected by the New York Giants and
New England Patriots, respectively.
The Philadelphia Eagles raised eyebrows when they picked Heisman
runner-up Jalen Hurts of Oklahoma 53rd overall -- earlier than
many expected the quarterback to go.
Hurts, who can beat defenses with his arm or his legs, will back
up the oft-injured Carson Wentz and may be asked to sub in for
him in certain situations as the trend toward mobile
quarterbacks continues to rise.
The 21-year-old Hurts began his college career at Alabama before
losing his starting job to Tua Tagovailoa and transferring to
Oklahoma, where he led the Sooners to the college football
playoffs last season in dramatic fashion.
"It's all been unprecedented," Hurts said of his unlikely path
to the NFL.
"To sit here and have this opportunity to go to the next level,
it's a blessing."
In an emotional moment, the Detroit Lions selected Notre Dame
defensive end Julian Okwara in the third round, pairing him with
his older brother and fellow defensive end Romeo.
Upon learning the news the brothers embraced, Julian broke into
tears and their ecstatic family cheered in one of the highlights
of the second day of the three-day event.
The draft is being held in a virtual format this year due to the
coronavirus pandemic, with players, coaches, general managers
and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell all participating from their
homes.
While the first round generates the most attention, 35 Hall of
Fame players have been selected in the second round or later
including all-time passing leader Drew Brees and four-time Super
Bowl champion Joe Montana.
Television viewership for Thursday's first round broke records
with an average of more than 15.6 million people tuning in for
one of the few live sports events left on a professional
calendar.
(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles; Editing by Kim
Coghill)
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