The Baltimore Ravens made their first pick in the 2023 draft on Thursday night, selecting Clemson cornerback Nate Wiggins at No. 30 overall. The defensive star should have a sizable role in Baltimore’s secondary in Year 1, especially with the team’s desire to have three quality options on the outside at cornerback.
After the pick, Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta explained the strategy behind making Wiggins a Raven. He mentioned that the team was always keyed in on Wiggins but had other plans if he was already off the board.
“We had a couple of guys that we really liked. We were so hopeful. We figured that this Draft, honestly, we had to come out of the first round with most likely a corner or an offensive lineman if we could, and you always hold your breath for sure. Honestly, I didn’t think that Nate [Wiggins] would be there for us. As the Draft started to unfold, and we started to see all of those offensive linemen come off the board, we thought there might be a chance, and then you started to see the run on corners in the 20s. Philly might’ve taken [Quinyon] Mitchell, and then [Terrion] Arnold went, and then we started to get antsy. Either the phone was ringing – we had a lot of different potential trade possibilities – but for us, it was always, ‘If Nate [is] there, we [are] going to pick.’ If Nate wasn’t there, [and] there was another guy we liked … but we also were going to look at trading out.”
Wiggins is regarded as one of the best-cover cornerbacks in the 2023 draft. With his blazing speed, he has a lot to offer when it comes to shutting down some of the faster wide receivers in the league. He will have to add a bit of weight to his slender frame, but Baltimore certainly sees the upside of who Wiggins can become.
