Ravens think they found a 'shutdown' CB late in first round of 2024 NFL Draft

With the No. 30 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Baltimore Ravens selected Clemson cornerback Nate Wiggins.

General manager Eric DeCosta said the Ravens "would love to add a talented corner at some point in the draft," and that turned out to be Wiggins on Thursday night.

Baltimore needed to land another corner who can play across three-time Pro Bowler Marlon Humphrey in its secondary and Wiggins should do exactly that. 

The Clemson product is a bit undersized, standing at 6-foot-1 and 185 pounds, but he has proven to be a lockdown corner, registering 58 tackles, one sack, two forced fumbles, three interceptions and 17 passes defensed the past two years.

Still, Wiggins will need to put on more weight if he hopes to continue putting up similar numbers in the physical AFC North. Until then, he may have trouble jamming larger receivers at the line of scrimmage.

However, DeCosta reveals the Ravens have high expectations for what Wiggins can develop into.

"We're very, very excited to draft Nate Wiggins, in my opinion, the best cover corner in the draft," DeCosta told reporters. "Really a guy, in our opinion, that can grow into being a true shutdown-type corner. Ecstatic he fell to us."

Baltimore was smart to add the best corner on its board as soon as it could after watching several key players in its secondary suffer injuries last season. 

Wiggins provides some much-needed depth at the very least with a good opportunity to be a Week 1 starter. 

The Ravens have prided themselves on having one of the best defenses in the league. In 2023, they allowed the fewest points per game (16.5) in the NFL. Wiggins will give them a great chance to continue their dominance in 2024 and beyond.