Instant analysis of Ravens’ selection of Clemson cornerback Nate Wiggins in first round of NFL draft

Here’s what The Baltimore Sun staff had to say immediately after the Ravens selected Clemson cornerback Nate Wiggins at No. 30 overall in the first round of the NFL draft on Thursday night.

Brian Wacker, reporter: A record run of 14 consecutive offensive players going off the board to start the draft meant that the Ravens had a juicy bounty of defensive options by the time they were on the clock with the 30th pick, which is how they incredibly ended up with Clemson cornerback Nate Wiggins. At 6 feet 1 and 173 pounds, he is slight, but he can fly. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.28 seconds and had 24 pass breakups, three interceptions (including two returned for touchdowns), two forced fumbles, a sack and a blocked field goal in 1,377 career snaps over 34 career games for the Tigers. Baltimore came into the night with offensive line its biggest area of need, but with all the top tackle options off the board and a boatload of picks needed to trade up, they took their next best option with cornerback, another area of need and a position the Ravens always look to stockpile. The last time they took a cornerback in the first round was when they drafted Marlon Humphrey 16th overall in 2017. Now they might have found his eventual replacement.

Childs Walker, reporter: With the top offensive linemen wiped out, the best values left at No. 30 were cornerbacks. The Ravens went with Nate Wiggins, a long, fast confident outside cover specialist out of Clemson. He averaged more than one pass defended per game over his last two seasons and backed that up by running the 40-yard dash in 4.28 seconds at the combine. Wiggins is lean at 6-1, 173 pounds, but he showed plenty of willingness to pursue ball carriers. With Brandon Stephens entering the last year of his rookie deal and Marlon Humphrey coming off an injury-plagued season, this was a good time to draft a young future starter at one of the sport’s premium positions. Wiggins will be another lauded first-round pick for general manager Eric DeCosta.

Mike Preston, columnist: Wiggins gives the Ravens speed in the secondary and ran a 4.28-second 40-yard dash at the NFL scouting combine. He has good size at 6-1 and 173 pounds and might develop into a shutdown corner. He has good recovery speed and also can play safety if needed. A lot of the good offensive tackles were off the board when the Ravens picked in the first round, so this appears to be a good selection.

C.J. Doon, editor: This is a bit of a surprise to me. With other standout cornerbacks Cooper DeJean and Kool-Aid McKinstry still on the board, the Ravens go with Wiggins, who weighed in at a paltry 173 pounds at the NFL scouting combine. That ranks in the second percentile among cornerbacks since 1999 in the MockDraftable database. He’s earned praise for his sticky man-to-man coverage skills and plays with a competitiveness the Ravens clearly love, but it’s going to be difficult to hide him in run support in certain situations, even if he puts on more weight. The board didn’t break in the Ravens’ favor after nine offensive linemen went ahead of them — including Oklahoma’s Tyler Guyton to the Dallas Cowboys right before Baltimore picked — so it’s understandable why they went in this direction. Corner is a position they needed to address, and adding the consensus 24th-ranked player near the end of the first round is great value. I just wonder whether Wiggins can hold up in a black-and-blue division that loves to run the ball.

Tim Schwartz, editor: Speed kills, and that’s what the Ravens are getting with this pick. Wiggins lacks the size you might covet — he’s only 173 pounds — but he ran a 4.28-second 40-yard dash at the scouting combine. They had their choice of cornerbacks based on how this draft worked out, but my gut tells me they were eyeing an offensive lineman with the 30th pick, and Baltimore’s selection came just after a run of them. We all scratched our heads last year when they didn’t take a cornerback early in the draft and we all looked silly after Brandon Stephens, Ronald Darby and Arthur Maulet stepped up and did the job. Now they get their guy, someone with enough starting experience at an elite school who can step in right away and help. It’s good insurance, too, with Marlon Humphrey’s contract getting more expensive by the year.