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Road to the Draft

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Meet the Prospect: Nate Wiggins

Name: Nate Wiggins

Position: Cornerback

School: Clemson

Ht/Wt: 6-1, 173

40-yard dash: 4.28 seconds

Bench: Did not bench

Vertical: 36 inches

Broad: 10-foot-7

3-cone: Did not run

20-yard shuttle: Did not run

View photos of NFL prospect Nate Wiggins.

How he fits: Lions general manager Brad Holmes said at the Annual League Meetings this week he feels really good about the cornerback spot after trading for Carlton Davis III, signing Amik Robertson in free agency, re-signing veteran Emmanuel Moseley and returning second-year player Brian Branch.

But that doesn't mean the Lions won't look to add a cornerback in either the second wave of free agency or the draft to add competition to that room. Lions head coach Dan Campbell said as much this week at the meetings.

Wiggins is tall, long and possesses rare speed and recovery traits. His 4.28 seconds in the 40 was the top among all cornerbacks at the Combine and was second fastest to only Texas' Xavier Worthy, who set a new 40 record at the Combine (4.21).

Wiggins is good in both man and zone but will need to add muscle and show he's willing to come up and play more aggressive in the run game. That's a prerequisite to play in Aaron Glenn's defense in Detroit.

Wiggins said at the Combine one of the things he can improve on is being more physical at the line of scrimmage.

Key observations: Wiggins scored touchdowns of 98 yards (an ACC Championship Game record) and 46 yards on pick-sixes in 2022 and 2023, respectively, becoming the first Clemson player since Rex Varn in 1977-78 to score on an interception return in back-to-back seasons. Wiggins accounted for two of the 16 career interceptions thrown by expected Top 3 draft pick Drake Maye from North Carolina.

What they had to say about him: "Wiggins has locked down the CB1 spot for Clemson the past two seasons, showing excellent speed (4.28) on a big frame. He is lean and can be susceptible to giving up catches on breaking routes, but his length and wheels are intriguing. And he is always around the ball despite limited targets, evidenced by 17 pass breakups over 2022-23.

"With three career interceptions, scouts will want to see better ball skills, but Wiggins has starter-level traits." - Matt Miller, NFL draft analyst for ESPN

How he stacks up: Miller lists Robinson as his No. 31 overall prospect available in the draft. Fellow ESPN analysts Jordan Reid and Field Yates rank Wiggins 28th and 25th, respectively.

ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. has Wiggins as his fourth best cornerback prospect in the class behind Quinyon Mitchell (Toledo), Terrion Arnold (Alabama) and Cooper DeJean (Iowa).

Wiggins comes in at No. 31 on NFL media analyst Daniel Jeremiah's latest Top 50 prospects list. Jeremiah has him as the fifth best cornerback in the class.

The Athletic's Dane Brugler lists Wiggins as his No. 25 prospect, saying: "Wiggins moves with quiet, controlled feet/hips to seamlessly transition out of breaks and accelerate to top gear (allowed only one catch of 20-plus yards last season, on 41 targets)."

What he had to say: "I set myself apart (from the other corners in this draft) because I'm a lockdown corner," Wiggins said at the Combine. "I'm very fast and I'm very technical. I think I'm the best player in the draft because I can lock down one side of the field and completely take the receiver out of the game. The scary part about me is I'm still 20 (years old) and I have a lot more growth in me."

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