Multiple prominent NFL Draft analysts released their final prospect rankings this week, with the 2024 draft set to get underway on Thursday.
NFL Network pundit Daniel Jeremiah has a handful of Clemson products among his final top 150 prospects for this year’s draft class, with cornerback Nate Wiggins topping the group (No. 36 overall).
“Wiggins is a tall, thin and long cornerback with outstanding speed. He is effective in press coverage,” Jeremiah wrote. “He gets his hands on receivers, but he’ll need to let go earlier at the next level. He is a fluid mover and has plenty of deep speed. He can locate and play the ball down the field. He will have concentration lapses at times, trying to peek back at the QB, which makes him lose position. From off coverage, he is efficient in his transition, and he closes in a hurry. I was a little disappointed in his lack of aggression against the run. He is content to hang on blocks at times, and his effort to chase from the back side is spotty, at best. Some of this could be due to high play counts, but it’s still bothersome. Overall, Wiggins is dripping with athleticism and physical traits, but he needs to be more invested in the run game.”
Following Wiggins in Jeremiah’s rankings are a few other former Tigers in defensive tackle Ruke Orhorhoro (No. 62), running back Will Shipley (No. 92), linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr. (No. 115) and defensive end Xavier Thomas (No. 137).
Meanwhile, longtime ESPN Draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. published the last update to his Big Board and position rankings for the 2024 class (subscription required), and Wiggins rounds out Kiper’s top 25 overall prospects, coming in at No. 25.
“Clemson had a disappointing 2023 season, but Wiggins stood out all over the Tigers’ defensive tape,” Kiper wrote. “He was 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.”
Orhorhoro checked in at No. 45 in Kiper’s overall top 150, while Trotter came in at No. 108.
As for Kiper’s position rankings, he has Shipley ranked as the No. 13 running back in the 2024 draft class, Thomas as the No. 9 defensive end, Trotter as the No. 5 off-ball linebacker, Wiggins as the No. 4 corner, Orhorhoro as the No. 3 defensive tackle and fellow Clemson product Tyler Davis as the No. 17 defensive tackle.
One of Kiper’s ESPN colleagues, senior writer Jeff Legwold, ranked who he sees as the top 100 players in this year’s draft regardless of position.
Like Kiper, Legwold ranked Wiggins as the 25th-best prospect overall.
“Wiggins is one of the fastest players in the draft and smooth in coverage,” Legwold wrote. “He plays with the confidence of a player who knows he has a top gear to make up space when needed. He moves easily with receivers and is hard for them to shake. Wiggins returned two of his three career interceptions for touchdowns and forced two fumbles this past season with chase-down plays. However, some defensive coordinators will say he needs to be a far more willing participant in run support.”
Trotter appeared at No. 65 in Legwold’s top 100, with Orhorhoro just a few spots behind at No. 68.
“He’s a bit undersized and some question his top-end speed, but he simply plays with intelligence, gets people in the right spot pre-snap, gets off blocks and finishes plays with exclamation points,” Legwold wrote of Trotter. “Trotter had 177 tackles, 28.5 tackles for loss and 14 sacks, three forced fumbles and four interceptions combined over the last two seasons.”
“Orhorhoro is a powerfully built interior player whose best football is ahead of him,” Legwold wrote. “He explodes out of his stance and is quick to put blockers at a disadvantage. His 12 career sacks — nine of those over the last two seasons — aren’t going to get the double take, but the potential is there in the right hands.”
The 2024 NFL Draft will be held in Detroit, with the first round taking place this Thursday, April 25, followed by Rounds 2-3 on Friday, April 26 and Rounds 4-7 on Saturday, April 27.
A limited number of signed footballs from Clemson’s 2022 class are still available. Get yours while supplies last! Visit Clemson Variety & Frame or purchase online!
