Press Pass: Nate Wiggins Introductory Press Conference (4/26)

Welcome into the Ravens Press Pass podcast. Today we had a chance to meet Ravens' first round pick Nate Wiggins out of Clemson. He arrived in Baltimore after getting selected at pick number thirty on Thursday night. He's fired up to be here in Baltimore and he had a chance to meet with the media alongside defensive coordinator Zach Prior and secondary coach Chris.

HEWITTT appreciate you guys coming, man, I mean, obviously you can see the smile on our face. This is a great day to be a Raven. Obviously, last night we drafted Nate Wiggins, who we obviously believe is the best corner in the draft, not only one of the best

Man were happy to hear.

First of all.

Eric Ozzy Hard, Missus Bashatti and the rest of the the scouting department because there's a lot of a lot of things that going along with the draft process and identifying guys, and then they had identified Nick in the process, and you know, all I had to do was just just go ahead and just turn on the tape. And it was just like as soon as you turn on the tape, you're ready to do. As soon as you turn on tape, you're just like dog, look at this guy.

Yeah, I mean, I'm I'm happy to be here. Like like they said, I mean, I'm a passionate player. I mean I love the game of football. So I mean that's why I feel like it's a I'm I'm the best player to be here cause I feel like, uh, yeah, this program, this organization is about passing, winning and that's all I'm that's all I don't care about. That's all I'm come here to do. I'm in the winning. I'm able to get the job done. So that's what we're gonna do.

Questions, Hey, uh, you know, obviously a lot of people point about your coming to the NFL, the talking about the speed of the game.

Obviously you're wanting the fast players out there.

What do you think for you v the biggest jos spent community NFL.

Uh?

Really just probably just my time having more time.

Yeah, and what are the uh.

What the last twenty four hour what's at least I guess the last twelve hours been like uh, waiting for your name to be called and then shuffling and back here to Baltimore and coming back into this facility.

Know ain't gonna be part of the future here.

Uh, I mean it's been crazy. I mean I've been having up and down moments. Uh in the draft the draft probably it was crazy, but I mean, uh, I'm here now, so I'm about to make everybody pay You who looked over me?

Hey, you going out going?

You know?

Patter heard you want to go? Was hid and Kennedy?

Is there any extra motivation? Forty to use the passed on you.

Then they gonna see like while they passed up, I don't know, Like I don't they gonna see Zach.

You know, said you when you had conversations with them, that you're here at thirty.

Great, like kind of not thinking it was going to happen.

You'd all play out last night and to realize it's getting closer and closer to depend what's going through your mind that you couldn't actually.

It was, it was. It was kind of mixed motions.

First thing, I was like, man, I hope nobody else pick him before before it gets to us. But it was great. Just started getting excited because we knew he was our guy, and like like Chris talked about, man, just seeing that process of the whole scouting department led by Eric and Ozzy, just seeing those guys work and and seeing the whole process play out where Nate was falling to us and when we knew we we we

The draft together, I think it's coming along well.

I mean, we just added, like we said we would, think it's uh, one of the top defensive players in the draft to our defense man. Obviously, we signed Beaks back uh early offseason and made some other free agent signings as well. But Uh, I think it's coming along.

Well.

He's gonna be a a great addition to our s uh A talented secondary and uh he's just gonna make us better.

That Eric said he lost some sleep or were going with a line or quarterback.

Of positions in need, I guess what were those conversations like, when or a side getting someone in.

Here after all the guys you laws.

Man.

I mean, shoot, I was I only watched the defensive players, so I only know about the cornerbacks. So I mean, if we got if we took our offensive lineman and it was gonna help our team, that would be great. But I knew that Nate Wiggins was a guy that was gonna be a great addition for us, so I was just like, Hey, if Nate's there, let's get him. And and it shaked out in our favor, So we're happy that it played out the way it did.

Waits, you know, to make it for us to time run out and all that time to yester that he turned in right away.

Can you kind of taste in the room yesterday and they turned that geta.

And yeah, I mean, I mean he we kind of knew. He knew that if Nate was there, that was a guy who's gonna take. Like I think he talked about it last night. It was a lot of phone calls, a lot of a lot of stuff going on, and he was just saying that if our guys there, we're taking him. And Nate was our guy. So soon as soon as it was our time to go up and Nate was still on their board, it was time to make that phone call. And and and you see it was no hesitation. So that's how bad we know we

I think maybe you played most of his snaps last year man coverage, you know, in his word, the NFL work to see a lot of stuff, a lot of high and action stuff.

What is the value of the guy if you do your shutdown man corner, when you guys need a call.

On someone like that, say that one more time.

What is the value of having a guy who can get shut down in a corner when you got.

Call on someone like that, Well, I mean, first of all, it's the guy that's as talented as this guy is, it doesn't matter for playing zone man or whatever it is. He's he's extremely talented. And the other part about it is he's got a high football IQ as well. You know, going through the whole process. You know, when we were at the we're at the combine. I think I stopped the meeting like at three minutes, and it was like it didn't even matter. It was like it was over.

How How old were you and and who was it who first put you cornerback? And did you sort of know right away this is this is where I'm along.

Uh, I think it was my ninth grade year in the front right of my mom my, Dad. I didn't really want to play cornerback. I want to play receiver. But it was like, I mean, it's a lot of receivers that's fast. I mean, it's not that many cornerbacks tall that could do what I can do. So I just started training in it and pay it off.

Then we saw Trenton Simpson welcoming to the facility.

What did he tell you about the organization.

That you're joining?

He was really just like it's a passion or just like Clemson. Uh, it's like is a give out for Clemson vibe, and I mean it's nice home. So I'm happy to be here.

Dad, You're sit there and wait until may be called.

The teams are gonna be pass Did you hap in the back of your mind there's no way you were getting past thirty because you were confident if you were still in the Ravens take care.

Uh nah. Actually when I was when they called me, I was in the bathroom. I was mad. I was mad. I was in I see my for ring and everything. Just wait, you know, it was crazy. Chris.

Uh initial thoughts to twelve hours. But what do you see as as Nate's role in this defense? With the depth of corner that you already have and the town already hit on the.

Roster me first of all, like with with the guys that we have in our room, it's you know, all our guys are they're they're truly interchangeable. Trying to get the best guys on the field and you know whatever that that that position is or how we get them on the field, That's what it's all about. Just trying to get the best players on the field and getting the best the best five or six guys on on the back end to play and play as one. You worried about it, I'm not worried about it.

Put on about maybe ten pounds and combine between the combine and your pro day? How did you go about doing that? And do you have like an idea? Weed you kind of like that too.

I mean I would never like one seventy I just ain't eat it come by. Yeah. So it was just log just longful waight.

Uh.

I just had the game weight back and eating right.

So hey that I think one matchup that people are looking forward to is Unz Flowers to you guys that are very fast and fast feed. What do you remember about your matchup with him in college, and it's not a matchup you're looking forward to his shot back, iron sharpening iron.

Uh, I remember, I mean who was going at it?

Uh?

In college?

Uh?

It was back and forth. Uh he kept he caught some passes and not to deflect some passes on him? So who was going back and forth? But I know, Uh, we're gonna get each other better now, So I mean it's gonna be It's gonna be good.

He's the best receiver your face in college.

Probably Jordan Addison.

There's someone that you looked up to or patter in your game after.

When you were growing up.

I want say pattern, but like a J.

Jrell.

He put a lot of like chips in my ear. He talked to me a lot. So can you tell us what he needs to have?

Your family here and the impact that they've had on your life and career.

Man, it means a lot just knowing where we're coming from. I mean a lot of folks don't make him have come from. So I mean it means a lot.

Until you see so many extended plays, Nate's ability to really mirror the receiver this quick feet, how much did that play into how much he really liked him.

That didn't have anything to do with it, because you know, it's it's all about the fit, and he has all the abilities and all those things, but it's it's more about the fit and how he how he plays the game, how he approaches the game. It matches what we do in Baltimore and how how how our organization, how our defense. His mentality is the same. So the extended plays and all those things, that's just another extension about how we think.

Hey.

During the Combine PRODS facility visits, you meet a lot of people love Scouts. What about the Ravens leadership stood out when you've got a chance to meet with them, both of the Combine as well as you're at your facility.

It was really just different for real. I mean they let me be myself. I ain't really have no critiques about it for real, So I mean I just like to be myself for I don't really like folks like you feel me. So I feel like I fit perfect here. I feel like God had a plan, And yeah he did.

You see the Marld Humphrey predicted that they would pick you like a couple of hours before they did, and said that he thought you would be the best fits. So I guess if you've heard from Maryland or any other guys in the secondary.

Actually I haven't. I ain't seen it. I ain't seen it yet.

Maybe a lot about to upgrading where you come from.

Uh, was there an easy or hard adjustment to uh when.

You got to Clinston's. Uh, it was a hard adjustment. There was a hard adjustment, just uh uh just trying to adjust to you know, the different communities.

Did you tell us about the dependent on your change in back and stuff?

Oh it's just uh a Jesus face. I mean, y'all put your face in faith from God.

So yeah, they And I think I've read somewhere about you writing a story or book or something about that wanting to be a quarterback in the NFL in like fifth grade? What sort of uh motivated you to do that? And you do the confidence to think that you could get to that.

Uh I used to play quarterback, uh back in the day, you know, Yeah, so uh I thought I was gonna be Cam Newton turns out cornerback, so I have other plans. Do one more, Kyle.

One of the few critiques of this game has been from Hunts just the little undersize. What about this game and tape and everything makes that any consequential?

From you guys, I mean he comes up and tackles, he comes up, he hits, he plays physical, and I mean he's only twenty years old. Like alsicnesiology major. I mean they say, you men full of men don't stop growing to like twenty seven years old.

So he got a lot of time to grow.

We got a great strength staff, nutritionness and everything like that. But on tape you I didn't see anything about him being undersized as anything that we critique. I mean, he flew up, set the edge in the run game, played physical with receivers at the line of scrimmage, came up, tackled, getting the ball off people, so he played like a Raven so we have no concerns about that at all.

So it's great to have Nate here in Baltimore and it's gonna be an exciting weekend as rounds two and three or Friday night, and the the rest of the draft is on Saturday. Make sure you are subscribed to the Ravens Press Past podcast. Here, leave a rating and a review. We're going to give you every press conference over the course of this weekend, so stay tuned for that. Also, head over to the Lounge podcast feed subscribe there as well, as we continue to break down everything that is happening