A surprise? Yes. Maybe it shouldn't be.

You can find good pass catching TEs.
And you can find good blocking TEs.
It's finding a TE that is a good catcher and a blocker that isn't easy.
And while Higbee isn't the best at either, he's good at both. And he's big. And he's speedy. And he's still young. And he knows (and is growing with) the system.