OTL: All Eyes on Nate Wiggins

Being a first-round pick comes with a pretty bright spotlight.

Being a first-round pick who plays defense and getting drafted to an organization that steadfastly values its defense? Well, that just makes the spotlight shine a bit brighter.

Cornerback Nate Wiggins, the Ravens’ first-round pick a week ago, is seeing that first-hand these days, as the Ravens faithful longs to learn more and more about the speedy rookie. And, obviously, the media is more than happy to feed that hunger.

The Sun’s Brian Wacker wrote a really cool profile on the young corner, and it contained some tasty nuggets.

#Ravens first-round draft pick Nate Wiggins has always been fast, and as a 5th grader thought he’d be the next Cam Newton (only ended up about 60 pounds shy). But his speed is only part of his story. #RavensFlock https://t.co/8hFzz4pcEZ

— Brian Wacker (@brianwacker1) May 2, 2024

One item that stood out is how Wiggins’ talent might have been inspired by a will to survive.

“‘He did not want to be on the field,’ his mother, Tamika Lucas told The Baltimore Sun. ‘As he got comfortable and conquered his fear — he was a child who didn’t like to get hit — every time he got the ball he was running as fast as he could. One game he must’ve scored about 14 touchdowns. No one could catch him.

“‘When he started playing 8-and-under, I started seeing different plays and moves he was doing that a lot of kids had to be taught and it was natural for him. I knew he was special.’”

Wiggins apparently saw it, too, and like many his age, longed to play like former Panthers quarterback Cam Newton when he got older.

“‘I used to play quarterback back in the day,’” said Wiggins, who weighs about 60 pounds less than the 245-pound Newton, the 2011 No. 1 overall pick by the Carolina Panthers who became the 2015 NFL Most Valuable Player and three-time Pro Bowl selection. “I thought I was going to be Cam Newton. Turns out, I’m a cornerback.’”

And the Ravens are thankful for that.

Of course, that isn’t the only place Wiggins has popped up recently. The NFL’s awkward embrace of legalized gambling has put betting odds into the foreground of things, and Wiggins has pretty good odds to be named the defensive rookie of the year next season.

FanDuel has the Ravens’ rookie sitting at the eight-best odds to claim the honor, at +2500.

“A lot of Wiggins’ chances to win the award will be tied to how much playing time he’ll get,” wrote Sports Illustrated’s Jeremy Brener. “It may be difficult stepping into the Ravens secondary as a rookie after the team came off a strong season, but he will have every chance to earn reps throughout training camp.

“If Wiggins can play how he did in college and have it translate immediately to the NFL, there could be a rise in his odds early on in the season,” Brener continued. “However, he’ll have to earn his spot to start alongside Marlon Humphrey as the second cornerback on the depth chart with Brandon Stephens currently in between him and the starting lineup.”

The Ravens picking up the fifth-year option on linebacker Odafe Oweh raised a few eyebrows, and stirred a few nods, as reactions were somewhat divided.

The Banner’s Jonas Shaffer wrote an intriguing piece on Oweh, and the faith the organization has placed in his growth and potential.

Three years in, how should we evaluate Odafe Oweh? Here’s a deep dive into …

Why his fifth-year-option pickup is such an outlier
His remarkable growth as a pass rusher
The next step in his development

Story + charts (!) + video (!):https://t.co/FJs7wwFSii pic.twitter.com/YA2wK2XYcO

— Jonas Shaffer (@jonas_shaffer) May 1, 2024

“In Baltimore, though, Oweh’s pass rush improvement has been swift and steady,” according to Shaffer. “According to Pro Football Focus, his pass rush win rate on ‘true pass sets’ — a sample that excludes plays with play-action passes, screens, short drop-backs, a time to throw of less than two seconds or fewer than four pass rushers — has jumped 12 percentage points since his rookie year. According to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats, his quarterback pressure rate rebounded from a dip in 2022 to a career high last season. Oweh ranked near the top of the league in both metrics in 2023.

“His challenge now is to turn more pressures into sacks. Despite missing four games last season with an ankle injury, Oweh finished 32nd in the NFL among edge rushers in pressures (51), according to PFF,” per Shaffer. “(All but one player above him missed just one game.) Oweh’s 15.5% pressure rate, meanwhile, ranked 18th among edge rushers with at least 250 pass rush snaps in 2023, according to NGS, just ahead of Danielle Hunter (16.5 sacks), Aidan Hutchison (11.5) and Montez Sweat (12.5).”

Shaffer said that, with more growth, Oweh could find himself staring at a huge payday down the road.

“With another year or two of growth under pass rush coach Chuck Smith, Oweh could be in line for a big payday,” wrote Shaffer. “Outside linebacker Jonathan Greenard had just 10.5 sacks over his first three seasons with the Houston Texans — then went off for 12.5 last season, parlaying his breakout year into a four-year contract with the Minnesota Vikings worth $19 million annually. Oweh had a higher win rate and a similar pressure rate in 2023.

“Outside linebacker Bryce Huff had 10 sacks and 67 pressures in 17 games with the New York Jets last season, then signed a three-year deal with the Philadelphia Eagles this offseason worth $17 million annually,” Shaffer continued. “He’s never played more than 480 defensive snaps in any of his four seasons; Oweh got 600-plus in each of his first two.”

Also of note:

The most improved units from the NFL Draft, per @TampaBayTre pic.twitter.com/9WejLRpaWg

— PFF (@PFF) May 1, 2024

Baltimore #Ravens rookie CB Nate Wiggins training with New England #Patriots rookie WR Javon Baker.

pic.twitter.com/pVidfendkw

— Trendfootball (@trendfootball16) May 2, 2024

Rookies take the field this weekend & this is what we’re looking forward to: pic.twitter.com/Yh5OsLQspW

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) May 1, 2024

The post OTL: All Eyes on Nate Wiggins appeared first on Russell Street Report.