The Baltimore Ravens have always been known as a defensive juggernaut and in the first round of April’s NFL Draft, they added another playmaker by selecting CB Nate Wiggins out of Clemson with the 30th overall pick.
Wiggins plans to be a featured part of possibly the league’s best secondary alongside veteran mentor Marlon Humphrey and the NFL’s top safety duo of Marcus Williams and All-Pro Kyle Hamilton. Wiggins was ready to make his Ravens debut against the Philadelphia Eagles in the preseason.
It took Wiggins all of one day to show the rest of the football world he can play. Wiggins would show exceptional cover skills to knock down a pass from Kenny Pickett on first down on the first drive of Friday’s preseason game between the Baltimore Ravens and Philadelphia Eagles. That would be impressive enough as is, considering he was matched up against 6-7 Johnny Wilson, but Wiggins kept getting better.
The fired-up Wiggins would follow that up with another pass breakup on the following play. The Eagles decided to go for it on 4th-and-8 on their first drive, and it was Wiggins who again knocked the ball away and forced a turnover on downs. Just one drive into his professional career, Wiggins looks like the same star he was at Clemson.
Coverage skills were never the issue for Wiggins. He did not allow a touchdown during his final season at Clemson, and new Baltimore Ravens teammate Devontez Walker became the only player who recorded a catch of more than 20 yards against him last season.
With proven 4.28 speed on top of excellent man-coverage ability, Wiggins looked like a player who could have been the first cornerback off the board. His lack of great size, as he is just over 180 pounds despite standing 6-2, may have scared some teams.
In the first half of Friday night’s game, Wiggins stole the show.
If Wiggins is able to keep this type of play up in the regular season, the fact nearly the entire league passed on him could look even more foolish than it does now. Cornerback is a brutal position for rookies, but Wiggins seems to be acclimating himself very well.
The only key now is for the Ravens rookie to stay healthy — and in the third quarter of Friday’s game vs. the Eagles — Wiggins had to get escorted to the locker room with an apparent shoulder injury.
NFL Network reporter Evan Washburn provided an update during the broadcast, but the Baltimore Ravens likely won’t get a full diagnosis until Wiggins is able to get an X-ray and MRI.
”Officially listed as a shoulder injury, listed as questionable to return,” Washburn said.
If Wiggins has to miss any substantial time this would be an obvious massive blow to the Ravens defense. In just two and a half quarters in the NFL the former Clemson standout stood out more than any player on the field and proved he could play with the best players in the world.
