When the Baltimore Ravens selected former Clemson standout defensive back Nate Wiggins at No. 30 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft, general manager Eric DeCosta said they believed they were getting the “the best cover corner” in last year’s class.
By the end of his rookie year, they had a strong case to support that belief and lofty praise. After recovering from a minor car accident early in the season, Wiggins began carving out a larger role for himself on defense each week and eventually emerged as a starter.
Wiggins went the entire regular season without giving up a touchdown while recording 13 pass breakups, a forced fumble and an interception that he returned for his first career touchdown. His mark of -28.4 target expected points added was the best in the league last season and he allowed just 47.8 of the targets that came his way to be completed which was the third-best in the NFL.
While some players who have standout rookie seasons sometimes experience sophomore slumps in their second seasons, most make their biggest leaps in consistency and production after a year of learning and a full NFL offseason.
In a recent appearance on The Lounge podcast, Ravens defensive coordinator Zach Orr said that the team expects Wiggins to make “a real big jump” in 2025 and emerge as one of the top players at his position in the NFL.
“He’s a big piece of our team (and) our defense going into year two and we expect him to be one of the best corners in the National Football League,” Orr said. “We expect him to take that jump from year one to year two.”
If the significant strides they envision for Wiggins come to fruition, the Ravens would have an elite cornerback tandem with him and four-time Pro Bowler Marlon Humphrey. The eight-year veteran is coming off a bounce-back 2024 season in which he led the AFC with a career-high six interceptions and earned First Team All Pro honors for the second time.
The fact that Wiggins somehow fell into their laps at the bottom of the first round nearly a year ago still baffles Orr. He recalled a conversation he had with the eventual top pick during a pre-draft visit to the Ravens facility.
“We told him ‘Look man, if you’re sitting there, I doubt you’ll be there at 30 but if you’re there, we might have to move some furniture to make sure you’re a Baltimore Raven. Everybody was on the same page and we got him so we knew he was talented, we knew the football character, (he) loves football, (is a) competitor. He was going to be a heck of a player.
Learning curves are part of the maturation process for every rookie that comes into the league but especially at cornerback where players are tasked with keeping some of the best and most explosive playmakers in the game from taking over.
Wiggins’ growth was steady and impressive to watch as he improved with the more experience he gained and mistakes he got to learn from.
“He understood the speed of the game, he was able to adapt to the speed of the game and how important technique was and how important it was to play with technique on every single play,” Orr said.
Early in the season, Wiggins was getting called holding and defensive pass interference regularly. He was relying more on his elite athleticism than his technique but once he started using both in tandem, he became even more of a lockdown corner.
“He got better and better every single week and that started in practice and in the classroom,” Orr said. “You really started to see it down the stretch. He was really lockdown for us.”
Wiggins will likely be at or near the top of the lists for projected second-year pros set to break out this fall and potentially become a first-time Pro Bowler. The Ravens want to continue helping him develop and reach his full potential because they believe he possesses the tools and intangibles to be great.
“He has all the ability and the talent to do it so along with him, we have to help him get him there and I’m confident we’ll do that,” Orr said.
