NFL Mock: Cowboys Draft Stephon Gilmore Replacement in Clemson's Nate Wiggins
The Dallas Cowboys defensively had two big holes last season. Along the defensive line, first-round pick Mazi Smith was slow to contribute, and at linebacker, then-coordinator Dan Quinn was forced to play smaller safeties in a bid to overcome the lack of depth.
The Green Bay Packers took full advantage of the smaller bodies and ran through the Cowboys' defense with alarming ease in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs.
With a need to get more physical and have bigger bodies closer to the line of scrimmage, along with veteran Stephon Gilmore's return uncertain due to his shoulder surgery that puts him out of action for around five months, there are a host of defensive needs for Mike Zimmer to sort out.
In CBS Sports' latest mock draft, Dallas doesn't solidify its linebacker core or defensive line in the first round and instead selects Clemson cornerback Nate Wiggins.
"Stephon Gilmore is a free agent this offseason," CBS Sports writes. "DaRon Bland played really well when called into action but the selection of Nate Wiggins allows them to maintain the depth that allowed them to absorb the loss of Trevon Diggs last season."
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In Wiggins, Dallas would be adding a corner that has a high ceiling at NFL level. This is due to his physical skills, football intelligence, and what he can do in coverage as he only allowed 4.2 yards per attempt when quarterbacks threw his way in 2023 as detailed in Mel Kiper's Mock Draft.
With Trevon Diggs being an outside corner and DaRon Bland more of a slot, Wiggins can slide into Gilmore's spot opposite Diggs and allow Bland to play more inside.
Having depth at the corner position last year helped the Cowboys cushion the cruel blow of Diggs' ACL injury and with Wiggins, the depth will remain deep.
While there are clearly more pressing needs along the defensive line and at linebacker, with the selection of Wiggins, the Cowboys are getting a corner who has good size and speed as they again look to make their secondary a formidable unit.
Is it a move to get fans excited? Maybe not, but it could be one that proves to be a shrewd choice in the coming years.
