Baltimore Ravens General Manager Eric DeCosta shares what superpower trait Nate Wiggins had to be their first-round draft pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Consistently, the Baltimore Ravens have hit on their first-round cornerback selections. From Duane Starks and Chris McAlister of the late ‘90s to Jimmy Smith and Marlon Humphrey, the talent has propelled the team to two Super Bowl championships the players have earned individual accolades (2 First Team All-Pro, 6 Pro Bowls). General Manager Eric DeCosta shared what have made those players successful and what they look for in scouting first-round cornerbacks that have routinely hit.
“I think corners have to have traits. They’ve got to have some outrageous traits. I mean, Marlon was just a big, physical guy who ran fast. A little stiff, but a physical, tough competitor. Jimmy had, freakish size and just a natural athlete, and could cover and ran well. Chris McAlister had, just unbelievable size and explosive ability to knock the ball out. Duane Starks, I scouted Duane when he came out. It was a long time ago, but Duane had, pound for pound was one of the toughest guys and ran extremely fast, but he was tough, feisty, competitive.”
So, what makes Wiggins special? What traits did he possess that had DeCosta decline eight trade opportunities at the No. 30 pick to take the Clemson cornerback? According to DeCosta, it’s his “superpower.”
“I look at Nate as just great feet, speed [and] cover ability. Guys don’t get open against him,” DeCosta said. “He can just flat-out cover and that’s really important. His quality, his superpower is, when he’s covering a guy, there’s going to be very little space. He’s got ball skills, he anticipates well, he can close and he can recover. So, I think, you want an all-around guy. You want a guy that does everything pretty well. But when you’re talking about a first-round corner, you want traits that will put them ahead of everybody else. And I think he shows that.”
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