The Baltimore Ravens still believe 2024 NFL draft first-round pick Nate Wiggins can be a star, and the second-year cornerback has made one key change to be bigger and better ahead of a potentially breakout campaign.
Wiggins is rated as the best breakout candidate on the roster by Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic. He defended the former Clemson star’s rookie season, pointing out the more Wiggins played, “the better he looked.”
Looking better was defined by passers having “just a 66.7 quarterback rating when targeting Wiggins, who allowed only 31 receptions on 62 targets while playing 68 percent of Baltimore’s defensive snaps.”
Those were impressive numbers, even though Zrebiec acknowledged “Wiggins’ rookie season would have been even more impressive had he caught a few more of the passes that he got his hands on.”
More reliable hands aren’t the only thing the player drafted 30th overall a year ago needs. Wiggins has also “put on about 10 pounds of muscle this offseason, and he has a far better understanding of Baltimore’s defensive plan.”
The extra muscle can prove vital for a young player the Ravens credit with “star potential,” according to Zrebiec. Becoming a star won’t be easy when Wiggins is competing with two accomplished veterans for reps in an evolving secondary.
Nate Wiggins Faces Challenge in Star-Studded Secondary
Standing out in a secondary as star-studded as the one in Baltimore won’t be easy for Wiggins, even with his first-round credentials. There’s All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton, who’s joined by this year’s first-round pick Malaki Starks, while Wiggins is part of a position group also home to a pair of All-Pros, Marlon Humphrey and Jaire Alexander.
They will be the headliners at cornerback, with Humphrey likely to man the slot, while Alexander lines up on the perimeter. The Ravens also want Wiggins to start on the outside, but more attention will be paid to his style fit.
While Alexander brings the press-man expertise the Ravens need to be more physical against the NFL’s best wide receivers, Wiggins has yet to prove he can be as overtly aggressive. It’s why his big change this offseason can prove crucial to his development.
Ravens Need a More Physical Nate Wiggins
The Ravens still pride themselves on being a physical defense, one where corners can and will make tackles on the edge. That hasn’t been a strong suit for 6-foot-1, 182-pound Wiggins, but at least he’s taking steps to fix the problem.
A few more pounds on his frame will help in run support, but also allow a player with natural shadow and trail skills to be more handsy in coverage. Wiggins allowed too many free releases as a rookie, like this one against George Pickens and the Pittsburgh Steelers in the wild-card round of the playoffs, called out by Ravens Vault co-host Bobby Trosset.
Reaching his superstar potential demands Wiggins make life uncomfortable for receivers out of their breaks, as much as it does getting his hands on the football more often. The Ravens will take turnovers and splash plays from their gifted young corner, but they would likely prefer Wiggins uses his bigger stature to jam more effectively at the line of scrimmage.
Doing so while learning the art of bump and run from Alexander, will surely help Wiggins justify star billing.
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