Clemson cornerback Nate Wiggins taken by Baltimore Ravens in NFL Draft's first round (2024)

CLEMSON— Clemson cornerback Nate Wiggins was selected by the Baltimore Ravens with the No. 30 overall pick in the NFL Draft on April 25

It's the second year in a row— and the fifth time in the last six years— the Tigers have had a prospect picked in the draft's first round.

Wiggins, a junior, is the first Clemson corner taken in the first round since A.J. Terrell was taken by the Falcons in 2020 with the 16th overall pick. Both Wiggins and Terrell are alums of Westlake High in Atlanta.

In Baltimore, Wiggins will join former Clemson linebacker Trenton Simpson, who was scooped up by the Ravens in the third round in 2023.

"Nate is as talented as we've ever had come through here at his position from a skill set standpoint," Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said in a statement. "He's really honed his craft from when I first met him. He's a really competitive kid, and how he channeled his competitiveness, he's really developed."

At 6-foot-2, Wiggins has the length and speed NFL teams covet. He was able to run the 40-yard dash in 4.28 seconds, which was the fastest of the cornerbacks at the scouting combine in Indianapolis.

That speed was on display for Clemson, most evident when Wiggins chased down North Carolina running back Omarion Hampton on what appeared to be a runaway 64-yard touchdown— instead stripping the ball out before he crossed the line. Wiggins made a similar play at Miami, as well.

The Tigers' speedster was also a nuisance for future No. 3 overall pick and UNC quarterback Drake Maye. Wiggins only had three interceptions, total, in his Clemson career, but two of them came off of Maye, including one for a 98-yard touchdown in the 2022 ACC title game.

Wiggins started 18 of 23 games over his last two seasons with the Tigers, notching a combined 58 tackles and 24 pass deflections.

NFL Draft analysts were impressed Wiggins' skills as a cover corner, though he was knocked for his lack of physicality at just 173 pounds. He isn't a plus defender versus the run, and he was also docked for some lapses in coverage.

Most projections coming into Thursday's draft had Wiggins selected somewhere in the early to mid 20s, and Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta told Baltimore's media corps he believed Wiggins was "the best cover corner in the draft," and the organization was surprised Wiggins fell to No. 30.

"I'm ecstatic he fell to us," DeCosta said.

Wiggins didn't suffer a slide in Day 2 like another Clemson corner, Andrew Booth Jr., who went No. 42 overall to the Vikings in 2022. Last April, defensive end Myles Murphy and defensive tackle Bryan Bresee were picked by Bengals with the No. 28 pick and the Saints with the No. 29 selection, respectively.