John Hightower (American football)
John Hightower IV (born May 31, 1996) is an American football wide receiver who is a free agent. He played college football at Boise State and was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the fifth round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
![]() Hightower with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2020 | |||||||
Personal information | |||||||
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Born: | Landover, Maryland, U.S. | May 31, 1996||||||
Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||
Weight: | 190 lb (86 kg) | ||||||
Career information | |||||||
High school: | Riverdale Baptist (Upper Marlboro, Maryland) | ||||||
College: |
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Position: | Wide receiver | ||||||
NFL Draft: | 2020 / Round: 5 / Pick: 168 | ||||||
Career history | |||||||
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||
Career NFL statistics as of 2022 | |||||||
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Player stats at NFL.com · PFR |
Early years
Hightower attended Riverdale Baptist School in Upper Marlboro, Maryland.[1]
College career
Hightower originally attended Hinds Community College for two years before attending Boise State University.[2][3] In the two years at Hinds, he had 31 receptions for 509 yards and seven touchdowns.[4] During his first year at Boise State in 2018, Hightower started four of 10 games, recording 31 receptions for 504 yards and six touchdowns.[5] In his senior season in 2019, he started 13 of 14 games and had 51 receptions for 943 yards and eight touchdowns.[6]
Professional career
Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | ||
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6 ft 1+1⁄2 in (1.87 m) |
189 lb (86 kg) |
31+1⁄2 in (0.80 m) |
9+3⁄4 in (0.25 m) | 4.43 s | 1.49 s | 2.67 s | 4.21 s | 7.07 s | 38.5 in (0.98 m) | 10 ft 2 in (3.10 m) | ||
All values from NFL Combine[7][8] |
Philadelphia Eagles
Hightower was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the fifth round with the 168th overall pick of the 2020 NFL Draft.[9]
On August 31, 2021, Hightower was waived by the Eagles and re-signed to the practice squad the next day.[10][11] He was placed on the COVID list on December 28 and activated seven days later.[12][13] He signed a reserve/future contract with the Eagles on February 3, 2022.
On August 30, 2022, Hightower was waived by the Eagles.[14]
Los Angeles Chargers
On September 28, 2022, Hightower was signed to the Los Angeles Chargers practice squad.[15] He signed a reserve/future contract on January 17, 2023.[16] He was released on August 29, 2023, as a part of the team’s final roster cuts.[17]
References
- "Boise State's Hightower made it out of his hometown. Now he honors those who didn't". www.msn.com.
- Rains, B. J. "John Hightower got cut from his junior college team as a freshman, but has become a key playmaker for Boise State". Idaho Press.
- Roberts, Rachel (September 9, 2018). "Boise State football fans get first glimpse of JC transfer's big-play potential". www.idahostatesman.com. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
- Rains, B. J. "John Hightower is No. 8 on our list of Boise State's most important players list in 2019". Idaho Press.
- Rains, B. J. "John Hightower overcoming academic issues to make big plays for Boise State: 'He worked his tail off'". Idaho Press.
- "PFF Pegs Boise State WR John Hightower as a Fit Later in Draft". SI.com.
- "John Hightower Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
- "2020 NFL Draft Scout John Hightower College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
- Ramey, Devin (April 25, 2020). "Former Boise State WR John Hightower drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 5th round". KTVB. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
- McPherson, Chris (August 31, 2021). "Eagles announce initial 53-man roster". PhiladelphiaEagles.com.
- "Eagles agree to terms with 15 players to join the practice squad". PhiladelphiaEagles.com. September 1, 2021.
- Bowman, Paul (December 28, 2021). "Kerryon Johnson Rejoins Eagles Amidst Flurry Of Moves". SportsTalkPhilly.com.
- McPherson, Chris (January 4, 2022). "Eagles activate WR John Hightower, CB Craig James from the Practice Squad Reserve/COVID-19 list". PhiladelphiaEagles.com.
- McPherson, Chris (August 30, 2022). "Eagles announce initial 53-man roster". PhiladelphiaEagles.com.
- "Chargers sign WR John Hightower to practice squad". Bolts from the Blue. September 28, 2022.
- "Los Angeles Chargers Sign 12 Players to Contracts". Chargers.com. January 17, 2023.
- "Los Angeles Chargers Reduce Roster to 53 Players". Chargers.com. August 29, 2023.