Ravens Rising Star Sets Bold Goals for Sophomore Season

It's been 15 years since a Baltimore Ravens defensive back generated double-digit turnovers in a single season. The last one was Hall of Fame safety and franchise legend, Ed Reed, who led the league with eight interceptions and both forced and recovered a fumble in the 2010 season.

Since then, only two Ravens players have even gotten close to taking the ball away from opposing teams that many times. In 2017, six-time Pro Bowl safety Eric Weddle led the team with six interceptions and recorded two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.

Three years later in 2020, All-Pro cornerback Marlon Humphrey led the league with eight forced fumbles while also recording an interception. The four-time Pro Bowler nearly matched that total last season with a team-leading and career-high six interceptions and two forced fumbles.

While Ravens cornerback Nate Wiggins went the whole regular season portion of his rookie year without giving up a touchdown, the 2024 first-rounder only recorded one interception and feels like he could've had five or six more.

"I feel like I owe the team some picks," Wiggins said in a recent appearance on 'The Lounge' podcast. "This year it's all about catching the ball, looking it through."

Heading into his second season and first as a full-time starter, he has his sights set on being the first Ravens defensive back in a decade and a half to generate double-digit takeaways.

"[I want to] get 10-plus turnovers," Wiggins said. "No matter – interceptions, forced fumbles."

As a rookie, the first and only other turnover he recorded was a pivotal forced fumble in a Week 3 win over the Dallas Cowboys when he was guarding All-Pro wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, who he said was his toughest test of the season. Their matchup came in the first half of the year when he was still getting adjusted to playing regular-season NFL football.

The ball is loose! @Ravens ball!

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"CeeDee Lamb probably was the best," Wiggins said. "I feel like he gave me the most work out there in my rookie year. I feel like after that game, it really set me down (and) I really had to tone in on my technique because I think I had two (defensive pass interference penalties) that game."

Wiggins displayed impressive ball skills, breaking up 13 passes and showing an ability to prevent completions and discourage opposing quarterbacks from throwing in his direction with tight blanket coverage. His lone interception of the season came in the regular season finale when he made a great break on the ball and returned it 26 yards for his first career touchdown.

Nate Wiggins takes his first career interception to the crib!

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"He threw it right to me," Wiggins said. "As soon as a I looked and I just seen nothing but grass, I knew I was going to house it."

Despite running the second-fastest time in the 40-yard dash of any prospect at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine in a blazing 4.28 seconds and being one of the best pure cover corners in last year's class, Wiggins fell to the bottom of the first round due in part to concerns about his slight frame even though he has great length and elite athleticism. He proved his doubters wrong by being physical in man coverage, contesting balls at the catch point not only being a willing tackler but making some nice downhill stops on screens and runs to the outside.

His body is still growing at just 21-years-old, helped expedite the process this offseason by packing on 10 pounds of muscle to his frame through weight training and a high protein diet that he said consisted of "a lot of steak" and starches like mashed potatoes.

"I thought Nate did a great job going to work this offseason, putting weight on," defensive coordinator Zach Orr said Thursday. "That's a testament to him and the strength coaches coming up with a great plan. Obviously, he followed it. The weight is real, so that's good to see."

In addition to generating more turnovers, both Wiggins and Orr expressed that a major focus for him heading into his second season is being more consistent in his technique. Coming into the league from the college game, most players with Wiggins' high level of athleticism often and sometimes heavily rely on their advantage in that facet of the game anytime they line up across from a wide receiver. But in the pros where the high-end pass catchers are either elite athletes, elite technicians or a combination of both in some cases, just being a great athlete with superb recovering speed and quick-twitch muscle fibers isn't enough.

"He's more locked in on his fundamentals and technique on a more consistent basis," Orr said. "Last year, I felt like he got to that point towards the middle end of the season, but last year, he was just running like a chicken with his head cut off, trying to figure out what to do. Now, he understands the system. He understands the defense. He's been in the league for a year, so he understands formations from offenses, so now, he can really just hone in on his technique. Man, that guy right there, [if] he takes his technique to another level on a consistent basis, the sky is the limit for him."

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