Young Ravens CB on the Rise

Baltimore Ravens cornerback Nate Wiggins enjoyed a strong debut season in 2024, but now the question is: what will he do for an encore performance?

Wiggins, the No. 30 overall pick in last year's draft out of Clemson, started six of the 15 games he appeared in throughout his rookie season, recording 33 tackles, and 13 passes defended. He also made his one interception count, returning it for a 26-yard pick-six in the regular season finale. In coverage, he allowed 31 receptions for 441 yards on 62 targets for a passer rating of 66.7.

That's a good season for such a young player (he turns 22 in August), even earning him some down-ballot Defensive Rookie of the Year votes. As the 2025 season approaches, ESPN's Ben Solak believes that Wiggins is a name to watch.

"Wiggins was nominally the Ravens' CB2 last season, starting as a rookie opposite veteran Brandon Stephens. But he was functionally their CB1," Solak wrote. "Highly competitive and physical at the line of scrimmage, Wiggins played his best ball against his best opponents (Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Malik Nabers)."

"He wasn't perfect, but rookie corners rarely are. If he plays with greater consistency, he'll be considered one of the league's better starting corners. And the team is banking on that improvement because its outside corner depth behind Wiggins is perilously thin. He needs to be the guy."

It is true that the corner depth behind Wiggins leaves something to be desired, especially with Marlon Humphrey now settled into the nickel corner role. Outside of newcomer Chidobe Awuzie, who's projected to start opposite Wiggins, the rest of the the Ravens' corner room includes Jalyn Armour Davis, T.J. Tampa, Bilhal Kone and Robert Longerbeam. The former two have seen very little defensive action, while the latter two are both sixth-round rookies.

Wiggins showed a ton of promise in his rookie season, and now the Ravens will count on him to take the next step.