Before the Ravens scooped up one of the draft’s top defensive prospects in Clemson cornerback Nate Wiggins, the team fielded many trade offers for the No. 30 pick. According to ESPN’s Jamison Hensley, the front office rejected eight trade offers for the team’s first-round selection.
[RELATED: Ravens Sign First-Round CB Nate Wiggins]
The decision to turn down the trade offers wasn’t entirely due to the underwhelming returns. Instead, the Ravens were ecstatic to land a prospect of Wiggins’ caliber late in the first round. The organization didn’t expect the Clemson product to fall to No. 30, with GM Eric DeCosta declaring Wiggins the draft’s top CB prospect and defensive coordinator Zach Orr declaring Wiggins the draft’s top defensive prospect. So, when Baltimore was on the clock, it was unlikely that any trade suitor would pony up the necessary assets to get them to move on from the defensive back.
“For us, it was always, ‘If Nate [is] there, we [are] going to pick,'” DeCosta said (via Hensley). “In our opinion, [he’s] a guy that can be a true shutdown-type corner.”
The unprecedented run on offensive players allowed the Ravens to snag the elite defensive prospect. Wiggins was only the ninth defensive player off the board, and he was the third defensive back to hear his name called (after Toledo’s Quinyon Mitchell and Alabama’s Terrion Arnold).
The 6-2, 175-pounder faced questions about his playing weight, but his length and agility clearly appealed to the Ravens. The cornerback finished his Clemson career having compiled three interceptions and 21 passes defended, culminating in a 2023 campaign where he earned a first-team All-ACC selection.
While the organization clearly has high hopes for their first-round pick, the team has the luxury of not immediately throwing him into the fire. Baltimore has Marlon Humphrey in place as a cornerback cornerstone, and Brandon Stephens had a productive campaign on the opposite side in 2023. Stephens, however, is set to hit free agency following the 2024 campaign, so it shouldn’t take long for Wiggins to force himself into the starting lineup.
“With the guys that we have in our room, they’re truly interchangeable,” said defensive passing game coordinator Chris Hewitt said. “[We’re] trying to get the best guys on the field. Whatever that position is, or how we get them on the field, that’s what it’s all about.”
Always appreciate good coach speak, but THE top defender in the draft? I hope this young man has an excellent career, but considering all the pre-draft rankings and the fact he was third CB and 9th defender taken, that’s an interesting divergence from general consensus.
Best defender? Even 185 is considered light in the nfl, after trading Moses I would’ve took a tackle in the 1st round in the deepest o line class we’ve had and will have for awhile
I would have been with you going into the draft, but eight tackles were taken ahead of them. Taking one of the top three corners in the draft makes more sense than reaching for someone like Patrick Paul in the first. I think landing Rosengarten at the end of the second was pretty great considering there was such a run on tackles in the first. Wiggins probably isn’t the best defender in the draft and he’s definitely light, but he’s really good for a 30th overall pick.
I’ll give u that oooof, me personally I had dejean over Wiggins personally
I think that’s totally reasonable. To me there were a clear top four corners who were all deserving of first round picks and figured it was eye of the beholder/schematic how to rank them. I think getting any of them at 30 is a win. I also think Wiggins scares people more after Forbes’ rookie season, but they’re very different players.
It is a bit misleading how alot of the OL that were drafted were listed as Tackles. After about really 3-4, the other 4-5 of the OL taken in the first round are really better Guard prospects than they are Tackle prospects.
Even some of the guys that will play Tackle would likely benefit playing Guard for a full year before switching over to being an impact NFL OT.
This draft had very good lineman, but it was extremely misleading how some “experts” and media personalities were labeling it as one of the best OT classes they could recall…
I would NEVER want my GM to ever use his first round pick on any player that is even remotely considered near the 8th or 9th best prospect for their position…
Plus, like I said before, the real PT studs in this draft severely dropped off after the first 4-5 guys, and even a couple of those guys had question marks about their durability and their ability to thrive on the outside and remain a Tackle at the NFL level…
Now, where this draft class really helped teams was with their ability to add a bunch of quality, versatile starting lineman. They could really excel as Guards or some even as Centers in the NFL, but in a pinch they can also provide your team with depth at the Tackle position.
I’m sure alot of teams will continue to try some of their OL they drafted in the first 3 Rounds at OT and especially as a RT, but, again, the vast majority are projected to play their best as Guards.
As deep as this draft was with OL and even quality WRs, it SEVERELY lacked in top tier talent for Safeties, Tight Ends, and Off-Ball Linebackers..
Yes, there were a couple quality guys available in the 2nd and 3rd Rounds, but in terms of overall long-term difference makers there were maybe a combined 5-6 guys from all three of those positions, and that’s quite frankly being very generous…
Alt, Latham, Fashanu, Fuaga, Fautanu, Mims, Morgan, and Guyton were all drafted with tackle roles in mind and I’d say most of them will end up there—not accounting for who ends up injured or a full blown bust, of course.
Super Skinny
Just like the top 3 WRs, the top 3 CBs are all pretty close. They like his size and it should be pointed out that they use the term “prospect” for Wiggins. Possibly based on age, size, and potential, he could have arguably been the top defensive player. The first DT went very late in the draft as well…
Should have taken all of them and then skipped town
Considering how aggressively the NFL calls holding and interference, it may not be as valuable today that a corner is thin. Wiggins can add to that frame, and of course that would be an advantage, but if you had to pick one trait in a corner that is less valuable than it used to be, perhaps that’s the one.
Of course it hurts tackling, press, and when the receiver initiates contact. I’m not disputing that it’s advantageous to have a strong corner, and that I’d rank a corner with strength ahead of one without, all things similar. But if I had to pick a trait that’s diminished in value at that spot since the heyday of the shutdown corner, it would be physicality. The frame part of that can be worked on, and the NFL has really discouraged physical secondary play compared to, say, ten years ago when the Legion of Boom won the big one. I think Wiggins can add to that, and he’ll need to.