The Ravens added what they view as the best cover cornerback in the NFL draft, and they did it at pick No. 30.

Baltimore selected Clemson cornerback Nate Wiggins, staying patient and letting a top defender fall to them after a historic run on offensive players. Always a fan of adding more picks, General Manager Eric DeCosta passed up on eight offers to trade back to grab the player he wanted and hoped for all along.

DeCosta called Wiggins a "ridiculous athlete" and he's someone they envision plastering opponents' top receivers for years to come.

Wiggins blazed the 40-yard dash in 4.28 seconds at the NFL Scouting Combine, the second-fastest time at the event behind wide receiver Xavier Worthy, who was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs two picks earlier. Wiggins can match up with any speedster that comes his way.

"In my opinion, the best cover corner in the draft," DeCosta said. "Highly athletic, fantastic feet. Really, in our opinion, a guy that can go into being a true shutdown-type corner. Ecstatic that he fell to us."

The Ravens have starting cornerbacks Marlon Humphrey and Brandon Stephens returning, but Baltimore entered the draft with the desire to add more depth and versatility in 2024, as well as a long-term solution at a premium position. Head Coach John Harbaugh said Humphrey or Stephens can also play inside.

DeCosta said Wiggins, who was one of the 30 players who came to Baltimore for an official pre-draft visit, was among the team's top 20 players. DeCosta just didn't believe Wiggins would make it that far.

But as quarterbacks and offensive linemen dominated the early portion of the draft, it pushed cornerbacks down the board. The first defensive player wasn't taken until pick No. 15, and the first cornerback (Toledo's Quinyon Mitchell) didn't come off the board until No. 22.

Wiggins was surprised he didn't go earlier too, and his coach, Clemson's Dabo Swinney, was texting DeCosta during the first round, telling him he should pick Wiggins.

The Ravens had previously told Wiggins that if he was there at No. 30, they would take him.

"It was a lot of emotions, just thinking I was going to go earlier and then falling to 30," Wiggins said. "But I'm happy to be here, man. I'm happy to be in Baltimore. I couldn't be happier."

Wiggins was a first-team All-ACC player his junior season, making 25 tackles, two interceptions, 11 passes defensed, and one sack. According to Pro Football Focus, he surrendered just 18 receptions on 41 targets last season for just 176 yards.

Asked to name one game last season when he really shined, Wiggins rattled off several.

"[It's] just my speed and my instincts and my physicality. Just being on that island, it's man-to-man," Wiggins said. "I feel like I'm the best man-to-man corner. I'm the best corner in the draft. The tape speaks for itself."

"Nate is as talented as we've ever had come through here at his position from a skill set standpoint," Clemson Head Coach Dabo Swinney said. "He's really honed his craft from when I first met him. He's a really competitive kid, and how he channeled his competitiveness, he's really developed."

Wiggins scored touchdowns of 98 yards (an ACC Championship Game record) and 46 yards on pick-sixes in 2022 and 2023, respectively. He showed his high motor chasing down a North Carolina running back to save a touchdown with a forced fumble at the goal line.

Wiggins is a young prospect – just 20 years old – with plenty of upside. In a class with fewer underclassmen, Wiggins was the exception. The Ravens see that as a positive. It's more time to get him into an NFL program and develop him both on the field and off it.

"I feel like my decision came off of my confidence, but also my talent. I know what I can do; I know what I'm capable of, and I know I haven't reached my highest potential yet," Wiggins said. "I'm just getting better and better as the years go on."

The questions are Wiggins are about his size. He stands in a little over 6-foot-1 and weighed in at 173 pounds at the Combine. He was up to 182 pounds for his pro day, showing he can (and will) add bulk to his developing frame.

"I just feel like it's just the weight thing, so when I get my nutrition [regiment], I feel like [I'm] going to be a big problem," Wiggins said. "I feel like it just takes time. I'm 20 years old, so not really stretched out yet, so I know when I get to my peak, it's going to be scary."

Size is one thing, and physicality is another. The Ravens are not concerned about Wiggins' willingness to be physical.

"When you watch the tape; he comes up and smacks people," Harbaugh said. "He's not afraid of the physical part of it at all. He's a complete corner."