NFL Draft prospect Lee Hightower has learned to embrace change, has developed a playing style around the ability to manage what comes, to literally and figuratively tackle an ever-evolving role. And now, just a few weeks out from the draft's first round, Hightower just wants to get back to playing football.
Hightower, a former University of Houston Cougar, is one of a small handful of hybrid corners/safeties available in the NFL's annual rookie selection process. He's spent the last few months between his native Los Angeles and New Jersey, working out, doing pre-draft prep and readying himself for the next, the first, step along his pro football path.
But right now, Hightower isn't thinking about the draft, or where he'll be slotted later this month - he's just excited to get back to playing the game he loves.
"I feel really good. I'm excited about what's coming up. Had a good pro day, happy about that," Hightower told Headlines and Global News recently. "Really, more happy that I'm done with that and I can just get back to football. Don't have to run any more 40s or any of that stuff anymore."
And while you'd expect nothing less than "feeling good" out of most prospects getting set for their draft, it's a big deal for Hightower especially to be both mentally and physically where he, and the teams starting to show interest him - teams like the Houston Texans, New England Patriots, Cleveland Browns and San Francisco 49ers - need him to be.
The conditioning, the training - what Hightower dubbed "preparing for the test" - didn't really faze him so much as it was just a departure from what he really wants to be doing, what he can't wait to again do, this time as a member of an NFL team - take the field.
***
Ironically, the knock on Hightower, a guy known for his versatility, is flexibility. Or what teams view as a lack thereof. But not in the positional sense - in terms of his hips, his change of direction, his explosion out of breaks and ability to make a play on the ball.
"I think that was the biggest thing I came away from the training with," Hightower said. "My flexibility has gotten way better, just my first-step quickness out of my break has gotten a lot better I think. So just like that overall strength aspect of getting my ankle stronger, getting my knee stronger. Just explode out of cuts. And when you can bend more it can help too with change of direction."
In fact, Hightower's made such impressive strides that his pro day workout earlier this month left NFL scouts - most of whom were in attendance to watch another top Houston prospect, cornerback William Jackson III - buzzing.
Hightower, 6-foot-1-3/8 and 198-pounds, ran a 4.54 40-yard dash - which would have put him just off the average time for corners at the combine, .03 seconds better than the average for free safeties - put up 16 reps on the bench press, managed a 37-inch vertical and, more important than anything, posted a respectable 4.30 in the pro agility drill.
Texans personnel were so impressed that secondary coach John Butler even offered Hightower an opportunity to join them for their local prospect day.
But the one thing no one's ever questioned Hightower about, and the reason he was able to find his way into a starting spot with Boise early on, is his understanding of the game.
"I think my knowledge of the game is probably my strongest attribute. Just being able to understand concepts, understand not only defensive concepts, but offensive, and how they're trying to attack you, how they're trying to exploit whatever defense you're playing," he said.
Versatility, conceptual understanding - the hallmarks of Hightower's game are mental. But if he can build on his strong athletic showing at his pro day, Hightower may not just land with a team in the draft - he may well find himself fighting for a roster spot.
"Once you get up to the next level everybody is an athlete, everybody is athletic," said Hightower. "And what really separates guys is kind of their understanding of the game."
***
Ultimately, Hightower spent his final season in college coming off the bench behind Houston's star safety tandem of Adrian McDonald and Trevon Stewart.
But much like with the off-field issue that ended his time at Boise, Hightower shrugged it off and kept coming, determined not to let the perception of him dictate his approach. Instead, he did what he always planned to do, going back to when he first accepted his scholarship from Boise - he went to work trying to make himself the best.
"I remember when I was coming out of high school, a bunch of friends were asking, 'do you think you're going to the NFL?' And my whole thing was like, I want to be good in college. So I don't want to just be a guy who gets to college and just is on the team just for the team. I wanted to be good."
And if Hightower could be good in college, well then the logical next step was to try his hand at being good in the NFL.
And while Hightower's collegiate career didn't end up the unmitigated success he'd hoped it would be, he's still driving toward that ultimate goal, rolling with the punches, evolving his game and, in the process, changing one NFL talent evaluator's mind at a time.
"I want to be the best," Hightower said. "Bottom line, really."
