One Tiger Rises on Kiper’s Updated Big Board for 2024 Draft

On Friday, longtime ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. released his updated Big Board for the 2024 NFL Draft (subscription required), giving his latest list of the top 25 overall prospects in this year’s draft class, as well as the top 10 prospects at each position.

Former Clemson cornerback Nate Wiggins moved up to No. 18 in Kiper’s latest top 25 rankings after previously being ranked as the 21st-best prospect overall.

Wiggins earned first-team All-ACC honors as a junior in 2023, when the 6-foot-2, 185-pounder tallied 25 tackles (one for loss), a team-high nine pass breakups, two forced fumbles, one sack and two interceptions (one of which he returned 46 yards for his second career touchdown) over 10 games (seven starts).

“Clemson has had a disappointing season, but Wiggins stands out all over the Tigers’ defensive tape,” Kiper wrote. “He has been impressive despite missing two games with a knee injury. He allowed 18 catches for 179 yards as the nearest defender in coverage, and two of those were turned into touchdowns. He has the length and recovery speed to match up effectively with any wideout he goes up against. Wiggins shows a smooth turning motion, good instincts in coverage and can make up ground in a hurry while using his height and arm length as a major advantage.”

Wiggins remains the No. 2 cornerback prospect for the draft, according to Kiper, behind only Iowa’s Cooper DeJean.

As for the other Clemson players in Kiper’s positional rankings for the draft, Jeremiah Trotter Jr. is still Kiper’s No. 2 off-ball linebacker behind only Texas A&M’s Edgerrin Cooper, while Ruke Orhorhoro remains the No. 9 defensive tackle in Kiper’s rankings.

The 2024 NFL Draft is scheduled to be held in Detroit from April 25–27.