OL Can Come Later – Wiggins Was Perfect Pick

With the 30^th pick of the 2024 NFL draft, the Ravens selected Nate Wiggins, a fast, tall corner out of Clemson who will turn 21 right before the season starts. He is a slight guy that needs to add some weight (which he will) but he has elite cover skills and is arguably the best pure corner in the draft.

This selection was met with some criticism by Ravens fans. Most fans wanted the team to add a WR or someone on the offensive line. While I understand that thought process, the bottom line is that in a draft that is deep in those two positions, it makes more sense to draft a guy that is potentially an elite player at another position that is not only a real need (more on that later) but also one that is highly valued in today’s NFL.

This was my personal expectation. I felt corner was the way they would go for all the reasons Eric DeCosta said after the pick last night: deep draft at other positions, not as deep at CB, can get starters at other positions as the draft goes on, etc.…

It just makes sense. Also, it’s obvious they loved the player. Forget what DeCosta said in the press conference after they took him. Look at how fast they got the pick in. It was like 10 seconds. That almost never happens. When I saw that, my first thought was that they love whoever they are picking and that it is someone that they didn’t expect to be there.

Now, go to what was said last night. DeCosta said they had eight deals on the table to trade back, but wanted Wiggins that much. He said that he got a player that was ranked between 13-20 on their board. According to what I heard some draft experts say, there were only 15-20 true first round grades in this draft, which isn’t uncommon. The Ravens clearly got a player at 30 that they felt was a true first-round talent. All of that makes this a no-brainer selection.

The other thing here is that despite everyone focusing on the offensive line, CB was a real position of need. Brandon Stephens is a FA after 2024. Marlon Humphrey had an off year (by his standards) in 2023 and has had a lot of injury issues the last few years.  His contract is also structured so that the Ravens, despite a lot of dead money, can save cap by releasing him after the 2024 season, and they can really save after 2025. Jalyn Armour-Davis and Pepe Williams have struggled with health.

Speaking of Humphrey, the fan base was largely upset when the Ravens drafted him in 2017. Most wanted them to take O.J. Howard or Jonathan Allen (T.J. Watt went later, but most weren’t clamoring for him). The pick came with a lot of scrutiny but it worked out very well and Humphrey is one of the best players from a very good first round that year.

And speaking of the Ravens franchise taking a cornerback in round in the first round, that’s something they’ve now done five times. Along with Wiggins, they took Humphrey, Duane Starks, Chris McAllister and Jimmy Smith. All of those picks were very good to excellent. They know how to develop defensive players. They have a great eye for talent. That doesn’t mean Wiggins can’t become a regrettable pick or you end up wishing they took Cooper DeJean but it does mean that they deserve the benefit of the doubt.

Let’s also not forget that this is a team that has drafted and developed offensive linemen extremely well and they haven’t needed to draft one in the first to do it. There are plethora of offensive lineman that have starred and started a lot of games for the Ravens that they selected on days 2-3. Yes, it’s harder to find very good tackles outside of the first, but it can happen. It’s not like the Ravens don’t have tackle options for 2024, although I agree that the situation doesn’t look great if Ronnie Stanley misses real time.

That said, this team knows how to develop offensive line talent. They know how to recognize it and they play in a system run by a QB that can be offensive line friendly. I am not worried about them finding worthwhile OL targets in a draft that is said to be one of the best OL drafts ever.

Let the rest of the draft unfold and see the big picture. These guys know what they are doing and prove it every year.

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