Nathaniel Wiggins (born August 28, 2003) is an American professional football cornerback for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Clemson Tigers and was drafted by the Ravens in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft.

Nate Wiggins
No. 2 – Baltimore Ravens
Position:Cornerback
Personal information
Born: (2003-08-28) August 28, 2003 (age 21)
Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:182 lb (83 kg)
Career information
High school:Westlake (Atlanta)
College:Clemson (2021–2023)
NFL draft:2024 / round: 1 / pick: 30
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 11, 2024
Tackles:16
Forced fumbles:1
Pass deflections:8
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Early life

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Wiggins originally attended Grady High School in Atlanta before transferring to Westlake High School for his senior season.[1][2] In high school he played both wide receiver and cornerback but was primarily recruited as cornerback.[2] At the conclusion of his high school career he would be selected to and played in the 2021 All-American Bowl.[3] Wiggins was a 4 star recruit ranked the nations #7 overall corner prospect.[4] He originally committed to play college football at LSU before flipping to Clemson University four days prior to national signing day.[5]

College career

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In his freshman year, Wiggins saw limited playing time and struggled off the field, with both himself and head coach Dabo Swinney later describing him as immature.[6] Wiggins entered his sophomore season with high expectations after he received praise from coaches and teammates for his growth and maturation during the offseason.[7][8][9] In the Tigers victory in the 2022 ACC Championship Game, Wiggins had a 98 yard Pick-Six, the longest in ACC Championship history.[10][11][12] Wiggins finished the season with 30 tackles, 11 passes defended and one interception.[13] In 2023, he received first-team All-ACC honors and declared for the 2024 NFL draft after the season.[14]

College statistics

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Clemson Tigers
Season GP Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
Solo Ast Tot Loss Sk Int Yds Avg TD PD FF FR
2021 4 1 1 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0.0 0 2 0 0
2022 13 25 4 29 2.0 0.0 1 98 98.0 1 13 0 0
2023 10 23 6 29 1.0 1.0 2 52 26.0 1 6 2 0
Career 27 49 11 60 3.0 1.0 3 150 50.0 2 21 2 0

Professional career

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Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split Vertical jump Broad jump
6 ft 1+38 in
(1.86 m)
173 lb
(78 kg)
30+12 in
(0.77 m)
9 in
(0.23 m)
4.28 s 1.59 s 2.52 s 36.0 in
(0.91 m)
10 ft 7 in
(3.23 m)
All values from NFL Combine[15][16]

Wiggins was selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft with the 30th overall pick.[17]

In Week 3 against the Dallas Cowboys, Wiggins recorded a forced fumble off of CeeDee Lamb with the ball being recovered by his teammate Marcus Williams. The Ravens won the game 28–25.[18]

NFL career statistics

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Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Comb Solo Ast TfL Sck PD Int Yds Avg TD FF FR
2024 BAL 9 3 16 10 6 0 0 8 0 0.0 0 0 1 0
Career 9 3 16 10 6 0 0 8 0 0.0 0 0 1 0

References

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  1. ^ Goodall, Zach (July 11, 2020). "Top 2021 Cornerback Down to Florida and LSU, Committing in August". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  2. ^ a b Palaian, Kaitlin; Podber, Elias (November 19, 2019). "'Dynamic' 3-Star recruit Nathaniel Wiggins attracting college attention". the Southerner Online. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  3. ^ Ramos, Gus (May 8, 2020). "Nathaniel Wiggins Selects All-American Bowl". All American Bowl | NBC Sports. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  4. ^ "Nate Wiggins, Clemson Tigers, Cornerback". 247Sports. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  5. ^ Dixon, Shea (December 12, 2020). "Nathaniel Wiggins flips from LSU to Clemson". Geaux247. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  6. ^ Shansey, Todd (September 14, 2022). "Can Clemson football trust Nate Wiggins to be more mature this year?". The Greenville News. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  7. ^ Senkiw, Brad (August 7, 2022). "Nate Wiggins Buying into What it Takes to Be Great at Clemson". Sports Illustrated Clemson Tigers News, Analysis and More. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  8. ^ Blau, Jon (August 10, 2022). "Clemson corner Nate Wiggins — aka 'Nate the Great' — earning high praise in camp". Post and Courier. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  9. ^ Potter, Davis (August 7, 2022). "This Clemson player continues to create plenty of breakout buzz". The Clemson Insider. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  10. ^ Chancey, John (December 5, 2022). "Clemson Football: Nate Wiggins provides clutch performance in ACC championship". Rubbing the Rock. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  11. ^ Smith, Kaiden (December 7, 2022). "Dabo Swinney details how Nate Wiggins has grown following big ACC title game performance". On3. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  12. ^ Swanson, Shelby (December 3, 2022). "No. 24 UNC football drops ACC Championship to No. 10 Clemson, 39-10". The Daily Tar Heel. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  13. ^ "Nate Wiggins Stats". ESPN. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  14. ^ Thamel, Pete (November 30, 2023). "Top-25 draft prospect Wiggins leaving Clemson". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 4, 2023.
  15. ^ "Nate Wiggins Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
  16. ^ "2024 NFL Draft Scout Nate Wiggins College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
  17. ^ Wacker, Brian (April 26, 2024). "Ravens draft Clemson cornerback Nate Wiggins at No. 30 overall: 'Ecstatic that he fell to us'". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
  18. ^ "Baltimore Ravens at Dallas Cowboys - September 22nd, 2024". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
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