Ravens’ First-Round Cornerback Could See Increased Role

Jul 15, 2025 6:54 PM EDT

Clemson cornerback Nate Wiggins surprisingly fell to the Ravens in last year’s first round, where Baltimore selected him with the 30th overall pick.

With their eye on Wiggins, DeCosta said he turned down eight offers from other teams to trade back because he knew they wanted the former Clemson corner.

Wiggins didn’t disappoint last season, posting 33 tackles with 25 solo while adding one interception for a touchdown and a forced fumble across 15 appearances and six starts.

The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec wrote that Wiggins could be a breakout candidate for the 2025 season, year 2 of his NFL career.

“The more the 2024 first-round pick played his rookie season, the better he looked,” Zrebiec wrote. “Quarterbacks had 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. Wiggins’ rookie season would have been even more impressive had he caught a few more of the passes that he got his hands on.

“He put on about 10 pounds of muscle this offseason, and he has a far better understanding of Baltimore’s defensive plan. The Ravens believe he has star potential.”

At the time he was drafted, Ravens’ general manager Eric DeCosta said he thought Wiggins can eventually be a true shutdown corner.

“In my opinion, [he’s] the best cover corner in the draft. Highly athletic, fantastic feet,” DeCosta said via ESPN. “[He’s] a guy that can [become] a true shutdown-type corner.”