OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Looking to bolster a vital position where their depth always seems to be tested, the Ravens selected cornerback Nate Wiggins of Clemson with the No. 30 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft on April 25.
Speculation mounted that the Ravens would trade out of the first round to acquire more picks, but instead general manager Eric DeCosta picked on turn and selected the player he called “in my opinion the top cover corner in the draft.”
DeCosta said the Ravens had Wiggins ranked as a top-20 player on their board, and he was surprised to see the two-time All-ACC pick fall to them at No. 30.
Wiggins becomes the first cornerback taken by the Ravens in the first round since Marlon Humphrey (No. 17 overall) in 2017.
At his pre-draft news conference, DeCosta described the cornerback draft class as “solid,” but not as deep as offensive line or receiver, and he said after drafting Wiggins that getting a potential plug-and-play cornerback in the first round was about as good a start to the draft as the Ravens could have hoped for.
Six quarterbacks were taken among the top 12 picks, and the first 14 picks in the draft were offensive players, the longest such run in draft history. That bumped the top defensive players to the back half of the first round, and several projected first-round cornerbacks were still on the board with the Ravens on the clock.
Wiggins (6-foot-1, 182 pounds) totaled 29 tackles and two interceptions this past season at Clemson. He had a pick-six touchdown return in each of the past two seasons, including a 98-yarder in the ACC championship game against North Carolina.
Wiggins, 20, ran a 4.28 40-yard dash at this year’s Scouting Combine, the fastest among any cornerbacks in this year’s class. Both DeCosta and head coach John Harbaugh praised Wiggins’ combination of speed, cover instincts and physicality.
Some questioned Wiggins’ frame, as he played at under 180 pounds at Clemson, but Harbaugh said, “When you watch the tape, he comes up and smacks people. He’s not afraid of the physical part of it.”
DeCosta has frequently echoed his predecessor Ozzie Newsome’s mantra that, “You can never have too many corners,” and indeed, DeCosta added at the pre-draft news conference, “Our depth has always been tested in the secondary.”
Last season, depth issues led to Brandon Stephens switching from safety to cornerback, and he proved to be one of the breakout stars of the season. Now Wiggins enters the mix, giving the Ravens a trio of starting caliber corners in Humphrey, Stephens and Wiggins. The Ravens also re-signed Arthur Maulet, a versatile player who had some key moments as a slot defender last season.
The Ravens are coming off a season in which they finished 13-4 to win the AFC North title and the No. 1 overall seed in the AFC. They advanced to the AFC championship game for the first time since 2012 but were beaten by the Kansas City Chiefs, 17-10, to fall one game short of the Super Bowl.
Barring any more deals, the Ravens will have eight more picks, beginning with No. 62 overall in the second round, when the draft resumes Friday night, April 26. They also have a third-round pick (No. 93) on Friday and then are scheduled to have six picks on the draft’s third and final day.
The offensive line, edge and wide receiver are probably the top areas of need going into the second day of the draft and DeCosta said he still sees a lot of talent on the board, particularly at offensive line.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Clemson Athletics