Ravens HC ‘Excited’ About Wiggins, Shares First Impression
By: Gavin Oliver May 7, 2024

On his first day at work with his NFL team, Nate Wiggins put pen to paper. The former Clemson star inked his rookie contract with the Baltimore Ravens last Thursday as the Ravens started rookie minicamp, becoming the first 2024 first-round draft pick to sign his deal.

Three days into rookie minicamp, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh met with the media this past Saturday and gave his first impression of the team’s rookies, including Wiggins.

Harbaugh likes what he’s seen from Wiggins early on and knows the talented cornerback is willing to continue improving his game.

“He looked good, he looked good. Nate looked good,” Harbaugh said. “But you know what, with a guy like that, it’s not so much about coming back tomorrow – it’s about being better tomorrow and making the transition to the pro game. So as good as he looked technique wise, there’s so many things that he needs to get better at, and he’s open to that and that’s part of that.”

The Ravens selected Wiggins, a 2023 first-team All-ACC selection, with the 30th overall pick in this year’s draft.

The speediest corner at the NFL Scouting Combine and second-fastest player at the combine overall with his 4.28 40-yard dash, Wiggins was projected by many pundits to hear his name called sooner in the draft.

Harbaugh and the Ravens were among those who didn’t expect Wiggins to still be on the board by the time their first-round pick came up, but they are certainly happy he fell to them.

“We were excited. We were looking for Nate,” Harbaugh said after the draft. “We were in the defensive room, actually in (pass game coordinator) Chris Hewitt’s office, me and about five of the defensive coaches before the draft started, about 7:45. And it came up, you know, ‘What if Wiggins falls to us, wouldn’t that be something?’ We’re like, ‘Nah, that’ll never happen. That couldn’t happen, but how good would that look in our defense?’ And it worked out and it came true. So, we’re excited.”

During Wiggins’ college career spanning 2021-23, the Atlanta native notched 50 tackles (3.0 for loss), 24 pass breakups, three interceptions (two of which he returned for touchdowns), two forced fumbles, a sack and a blocked field goal over 34 games (18 starts).

Wiggins has made a name for himself with his skills as an elite cover corner, but Harbaugh noted that he also doesn’t shy away from physicality as a tackler in run support.

“When you watch the tape — he comes up and smacks people,” Harbaugh said. “He’s not afraid of the physical part of it at all. He’s a complete corner.”

–Photo courtesy of Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

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