Ravens Draft Clemson CB Nate Wiggins

With the 30th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Baltimore Ravens selected Clemson CB Nate Wiggins.

Here’s our detailed scouting report on Wiggins from earlier this month:

Prospect Profile: Nate Wiggins, CB, Clemson

RSR staff react to the pick here.

Rob Shields

Well, get ready to hear all the normal cliches we hear from the Ravens this time of the year.

They ran that pick up and made it fast. They clearly wanted Wiggins seemed surprised he was there.

I had the Ravens taking a corner and thought it would be between Kool Aid and Wiggins. I thought DeJean would be gone but maybe there is too much of a safety profile for them to take him over a faster and more natural corner in Wiggins. Kool Aid has an injury question mark as well.

Love the pick. O-line is deep in this draft and CB is not. I’m expecting at least one OL tomorrow, and maybe two (and an OL and WR if not).

Kind of bummed about not getting Guyton but there were some technique concerns. Wiggins is a pretty clean prospect. The #Ravens needed an outside corner. Long arms, has great speed & is a playmaker. Kind of fits the mold. And allows them to match up with other WR-deep teams.

— Dev Panchwagh (@devpanchwagh) April 26, 2024

Kevin McNelis

When Tyler Guyton came off the board right before the Ravens pick, I expected that Baltimore might take their time and see what they could arrange with a trade back. Instead, they locked in their pick immediately with CB Nate Wiggins, signaling that they’ve seen enough to feel like he can make an immediate impact in the secondary.

The CB group in this class didn’t have a consensus #1 guy, and I think what sealed the deal for EDC and Co was how good Wiggins’ ball skills are. This defense was missing a true ballhawk for a while until Geno Stone’s breakout last season, and perhaps the goal is to turn Wiggins loose to attack the ball and generate turnovers.

It’ll leave a sour taste for a lot of folks hoping they would’ve landed a starting tackle of the future, but maybe a gem like Kiran Amegadjie is available later. The rest of the critiques are likely to come from those who would’ve favored Cooper DeJean, a more position-less member of the secondary with special teams chops.

I’m not really moved, personally. If you’re focusing on needs, I wouldn’t have minded Adonai Mitchell there at all, but I trust the process. They’ve got their work cut out for them on Day 2.

Darin McCann

With the offensive line candidates dwindling quickly in an offensive-dominated first round, it made a ton of sense to grab one of the talented corners on the board. And Wiggins carries the highest ceiling of any of those corners, thanks to his length and speed.

There are still some real concerns with the offensive line at this point, but with the board being what it was, the Ravens made the smart choice for today. They’re still scheduled for eight more picks, so let’s see what the rest of the weekend brings.

I like the pick. Wiggins fortifies the corner room immediately, and I think he projects as a starter early in his career.

Jared Pinder

Nate Wiggins is athletic as anything. He is 6-1 and ran a 4.41. He just has that “It” factor at corner and is super aggressive. Corner was a more low-key need for the Ravens with Marlo struggling to stay healthy and Brandon Stephens only having one year left on his contract. The offensive tackle run hurt, but a good player is a good player and I will never criticize the selection of one.

Chad Racine

Daniel Jeremiah gets his final mock draft correct with the Ravens pick. Many analysts believe Nate Wiggins is the best pure cover corner in the draft.  I was hoping for Guyton but knew Dallas would snatch him.  When the Ravens picked I expected one of the three corners on the board with Kool-Aid, DeJean or Wiggins. I personally liked the versatility of DeJean but I trust the Ravens know what they want in Nate Wiggins.  I hope they land an offensive tackle on day two.

Derek Arnold

A record six QBs went off the board in the first round, and that was just in the first 12 picks! What a wild start, and one that assured a very talented player or three would be available by the time it was Baltimore’s turn.

I’ll be honest: my draft prep was exclusively reading our own James Ogden’s scouting reports. Based on those, I really wanted Cooper DeJean, who was also available and at the same position. From James’ evaluation, linked above:

Wiggins, for me, doesn’t clearly play like a Raven. He doesn’t have the competitive toughness that the Ravens look for in their Defensive Backs. While he has the athletic ability and processing that the Ravens look for, these don’t stand out as elite and don’t at all make-up for his lack of grit. He’s not especially versatile and this would hurt him with the Ravens, if he is the pick, he would need to wait his turn behind Stephens and Humphrey.

Contrast that with what James had to say about DeJean:

DeJean is the dream fit for the Ravens. Athletic, technically sound, physically tough, intelligent, and versatile, he would fit this defense like a glove. The unit has a multitude of position-less players who do many different things at a high level; adding DeJean too, at outside CB, would leave QBs needing to account for too many different threats when they come to the line. His ball skills would also add an element at CB that they don’t currently have at his high level, as he could take the ball away with regularity in the NFL. I don’t see how the Ravens get a chance to take him but if they do, they should run the card up.

So based on that, I was disappointed in the pick. However, the Ravens clearly disagree with James on both evaluations. They seemed to be almost falling over themselves turning that card in. As much as I love and respect James’ work, I have to give them the benefit of the doubt here (I don’t think that will offend my colleague).

I look forward to watching Wiggins reward the Ravens’ faith in him over the next few years.

My thoughts on Nate Wiggins…

The athleticism and the processing is exceptional. The speed helps him get out of trouble and I like how he competes at the line of scrimmage in press. He has excellent ball skills, breaking up passes with timing and accuracy.

For me, he does have…

— James Ogden (@NflOgden) April 26, 2024

Brennan Stewart

Wow… Baltimore was just one pick away from Tyler Guyton, but Eric DeCosta clearly had several options in front of him when his turn came and wasted no time to submit the pick. No hesitation.

20-year-old, 6’1” Nate Wiggins reunites with Trenton Simpson who is expected to see a significant increase in snaps in the absence of Patrick Queen. College chemistry has a knack for helping players thrive in their roles (as we’re seeing with Nick Bosa and Chase Young), and there’s hope that Wiggins can quickly feel comfortable as he works towards becoming a starter.

Wiggins ran a 4.28 40-yard dash which made him the fastest corner in the combine, but at 185 lbs, I can’t help but feel concerned for how he’ll fare against stockier and taller receivers on 50/50 balls.

Regardless, CB was a position lacking depth heading into this draft, and EDC filled that need. Now how about that offensive line?

Chris Schisler

The Ravens would have had good options if they traded back yet they got the pick in quickly. That speaks to their confidence. Wiggins is a lanky armed corner with a knack for making plays; it’s hard not to like the pick. Wiggins should have probably been taken earlier, but the Ravens got a steal as a result of quarterback madness taking over round one.

On top of value the Ravens just got better at a position of need. A good defense got better.

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