By Rory Carroll
(Reuters) – One night after selecting LSU’s Joe Burrow with the first pick of the NFL Draft, the Cincinnati Bengals wasted no time finding him a target by nabbing Clemson wide receiver Tee Higgins with the first pick of the second round on Friday.
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.
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 weapon next season when he takes the reigns in Indianapolis.
The Detroit Lions also added a potent offensive weapon 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 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)
