Now, it’s Nate Wiggins’ turn to take that second-year leap.
Wiggins, the Ravens’ first-round pick in 2024, quietly had a very strong rookie season. The former Clemson star didn’t allow a single touchdown while targeted, and though he only had one interception, he made it count with a 26-yard pick-six in the regular season finale against the Cleveland Browns.
Nate Wiggins takes his first career interception to the crib!
📺: #CLEvsBAL on ESPN/ABC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus and ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/X7qwgp4NiS— NFL (@NFL) January 4, 2025
It was an excellent starting point for Wiggins, who turns 22 next month, but obviously not the destination. The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec named Wiggins as the Ravens’ top breakout candidate entering the 2025 season.
“The more the 2024 first-round pick played his rookie season, the better he looked,” Zrebiec wrote. “Quarterbacks had just a 66.7 quarterback rating when targeting Wiggins, who allowed only 31 receptions on 62 targets while playing 68 percent of Baltimore’s defensive snaps. Wiggins’ rookie season would have been even more impressive had he caught a few more of the passes that he got his hands on.”
“He put on about 10 pounds of muscle this offseason, and he has a far better understanding of Baltimore’s defensive plan. The Ravens believe he has star potential.”
The extra bulk will definitely help Wiggins, as his lack of size was one of the main knocks against him coming out of college. Now he’s a respectable 182 pounds, which should help him against bigger wideouts.
Wigins’ growth this offseason hasn’t been just physical, but mental as well.
“I feel like [I have grown a lot as a player], especially, like you said, [over this] last year,” Wiggins told reporters on June 6. “Last season, I didn’t feel like I was really a pro yet. Now, I’m [understanding] how to be a pro now. I feel like now it’s going to pay off.”