Ravens Pro Bowler Loves Competition With Former First-Rounder

Before their divergent paths led them to become teammates on the 2025 Baltimore Ravens roster, veteran wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins and second-year cornerback Nate Wiggins roamed the same halls and frequented the same training facility at Clemson University, albeit in different decades.

By the time Wiggins arrived on campus as a true freshman starter in 2021, Hopkins had already been in the league for nearly a decade and had established himself as one of the best in the game with five Pro Bowls and three First Team All Pros to his name.

During his time in the NFL, he has gone up against and bested many of the elite cornerbacks over the past decade and a half, including his fellow veterans and multi-time Pro Bowlers, Marlon Humphrey and Jaire Alexander. However, when it comes to who he enjoys going up against in practice the most among the defensive backs in the Ravens' loaded secondary, he picked his fellow Tiger alumnus.

“I think @WigginNathaniel is a young guy who loves competing. He wants to be great.” @DeAndreHopkins on which DB he likes going against pic.twitter.com/eSirvuQBRZ
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) August 10, 2025

"I like going against all of them, but I would say specifically Nate Wiggins," Hopkins said when asked Sunday. "Nate is a young guy who loves competing. He wants to be great. Obviously, Jaire, but Jaire and I have played against each other before. I've never played against Nate."

Their battles in training camp thus far have been both entertaining to watch highlights of and instructive for Wiggins, especially. The youngster gets to learn how to better cover a receiver who is a master of the nuances of playing the position at a high level, even when the corner has the advantage in terms of athleticism, as is the case between the 33 and 21-year-olds.

Flag on the play but the catch was tooooo fire not to share 😮‍💨@Lj_era8 ➡️ @DeAndreHopkins pic.twitter.com/QzZap0PToW
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) July 28, 2025

"We talk a lot, just about certain routes that he feels like he needs work on," Wiggins said. "When we do one-on-one drills, I'll run some of those against him, just so he can kind of get reps that he needs at certain depths or against certain kinds of coverages.

Since his uncle is a strength and conditioning coach for their former college program, Hopkins has been aware of Wiggins and his potential for years, even before he was selected in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft by the Ravens at No. 30 overall.

"[He would tell me] just about a young kid that's going to be great," Hopkins said Sunday. "I would go there and hang out with my uncle in the strength training room, and Nate would be in there a lot of times just doing his own thing. He'd be like, 'This kid right here is going to be great,' and obviously, he was talking about Nate."

Wiggins has been a recurring name on most national NFL media outlets' lists of second-year pros poised to break out in 2025 following such a strong rookie campaign. Last season he went the entire regular season without giving up a touchdown, had some great individual matchups with come of the best wideouts in the league and finished with a mark of -28.4 target expected points added, which was the best in the NFL and allowed just 47.8% of the targets his directions to be completed, the league's third-best mark.

Baltimore Ravens cornerback Nate Wiggins strips the ball away from Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb on Sep 22, 2024. — Sep 22, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Baltimore Ravens cornerback Nate Wiggins (2) strips the ball away from Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb (88) during the second quarter at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Dieb-Imagn Images | Andrew Dieb-Imagn Images

In 17 games appearances, including the playoffs in his inaugural season, Wiggins made eight starts and recorded 39 total tackles, 13 passes defensed, one forced fumble and a pick-six against the Cleveland Browns in the regular-season finale.

During the offseason, Wiggins was among several Ravens players who added more bulk in the form of muscle to his frame, and it's already paying off despite what some irrational fans stressing over practice highlights might think. Hopkins believes he is still "continuing to find himself in this league" but that he also has what it takes to become one of the NFL's elite.

"He's a Clemson guy, we train them well," Hopkins said. "He competes every day. He doesn't complain, comes out, and works. He has every toolset you look for in a lockdown corner."

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