The Baltimore Ravens held their first padded practice of training camp on Monday, and former Clemson star DeAndre Hopkins made his presence felt with a highlight-reel grab.
Hopkins showed off his stellar ball skills, hauling in a stunning one-handed catch while being guarded by a fellow former Clemson Tiger – Nate Wiggins.
Hopkins was flagged on the play, but it was impressive nonetheless.
From the Ravens’ official website:
While offensive pass interference was called after the play, DeAndre Hopkins had the catch of the day. He hauled in a one-handed catch in the corner of the end zone with Wiggins draped all over him. It was another day of Hopkins making the type of catches that fans have gotten used to seeing in his 13 years in the league.
Hopkins, a five-time Pro Bowler and three-time first-team All-Pro, hasn’t wasted any time making an impression with the Ravens after signing a one-year deal with the team back in March.
The 33-year-old Hopkins, who’s heading into his 13th NFL campaign in 2025, has amassed 984 receptions for 12,965 yards and 83 touchdowns during his Hall of Fame-caliber career with the Houston Texans, Arizona Cardinals, Tennessee Titans and Kansas City Chiefs since being selected by Houston in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft.
As for Wiggins, he too stood out during the Ravens’ practice Monday, according to the team’s website:
Cornerback Nate Wiggins was another player who capitalized on the first day with pads. He made a few nice plays throughout the afternoon, one of which was a breakup in the end zone, as he continues to string together strong practices.
“Nate’s had a couple of really good practices.” Head Coach John Harbaugh said. “He’s had two or three really good practices in a row, both pressing and [in] off-coverage. He’s also reacting nicely to underneath throws in zone and made some nice tackles, too.”
The Ravens are expecting big things from Wiggins this season, coming off his strong rookie campaign in 2024. After being drafted by the Ravens in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, Wiggins saw his role steadily increase throughout last season as he continued to improve and got more comfortable as an NFL corner. After limited playing time in the early going, he carved out a significant role in the Ravens’ secondary by the time the postseason rolled around and was playing at a high level well while seeing plenty of action on the field.
In 15 regular season games, Wiggins tallied 33 tackles, 13 passes defended, a forced fumble and his first career interception – a pick-six in Baltimore’s Week 18 win over the Cleveland Browns. The former first-team All-ACC selection added six more tackles and a quarterback hit in two playoff games.
–Photo courtesy of Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images