5 NFL wide receivers who could break out in the 2021 season

1. Rashard Higgins, Cleveland Browns

Rashard Higgins is easily the oldest receiver featured on this list. Now 26 years old, he was drafted by the Cleveland Browns back in 2016. While he’s been in the league and has produced well enough to this point, though, that doesn’t mean he can’t break out even further in the upcoming season.

Early in his career, Higgins struggled a bit. Part of that was on the raw wide receiver entering the NFL but some blame is due for the state of the Browns roster at quarterback and receiver. When Baker Mayfield arrived in 2018, though, things started to turn around. Not only did stable quarterback play Higgins, but subsequent moves to upgrade the wide receiver room around Higgins.

One such player added, as we all know, was Odell Beckham Jr. But OBJ has struggled a bit in Cleveland with a lackluster 2019 and then suffering a season-ending injury in 2020. With Beckham out last year, though, Higgins stepped up and showed the kind of talent he possesses.

Higgins has not only proved he can be a quality receiver but that he deserves looks even with OBJ returning to the field in 2021. As the offense gets another year — and a full offseason — to develop, Higgins could be called upon as a consistent threat for the Browns.