Whenever opponents threw Nate Wiggins' way this preseason, it didn't work out well for them.
When the Green Bay Packers tried to complete a third-down pass on Wiggins last Thursday, the Ravens' first-round rookie cornerback effortlessly matched wide receiver Bo Melton step for step and gave him a little shove in the back for kicks.
This came after Wiggins had three pass breakups on his first NFL drive in the preseason opener against the Philadelphia Eagles.
One top of his standout preseason performances, Head Coach John Harbaugh said Wiggins had a "heck of a camp."
"He's definitely everything we thought he was," Harbaugh said. "Not that he can get better, because he can, and I'm sure he will, because he works at it. He's going to be counted on heavily this year for us."
The Ravens have a star-studded secondary and are led by Marlon Humphrey and Brandon Stephens at cornerback. But with Wiggins playing so well this summer, it confirmed that Baltimore will find ways to get their talented rookie on the field early and often.
That's not always a given. Humphrey, who was a first-round pick in 2017 and was selected 14 picks ahead of Wiggins, didn't become a starter as a rookie until Week 13. He played an average of 40% of the defensive snaps before then, boosted heavily by one game in which he stepped in for nearly every snap due to injury.
Humphrey said during training camp that there have been discussions about using himself or Stephens more inside at nickel, which would free up room for Wiggins to be on the outside.
Wiggins could get a good test in Week 1 if he were to line up opposite Chiefs rookie wide receiver Xavier Worthy. That would be speed vs. speed between two players picked just two spots apart. Worthy ran the 40-yard dash in a record 4.21 seconds while Wiggins blazed it in 4.28 seconds.
