Scouting Report: Nate Wiggins (CB) - Clemson
Sales Pitch: “Sticky man coverage corner with excellent instincts and strong ball production. A light frame and poor run game involvement may limit his potential landing spots but has some of the best coverage skills in the class.”
Athletic Profile
Height: 6’ 1 3/8”
Weight: 173 lbs
Arm Length: 30 1/2”
Hand Size: 9”
40 Yard Dash: 4.28
10 Yard Split: 1.50
Vertical: 36”
Broad Jump: 10’ 9”
Short Shuttle: N/A
3-Cone: N/A
Age: 21
Relative Athletic Score: 9.44 / 10.00
Statistics
Career: 49 Tackles - 3 Interceptions - 21 Pass Deflections
2023: 23 Tackles - 2 Interceptions - 6 Pass Deflections
Strengths
Excellent athlete with smooth movement skills
Good ability to anticipate receivers routes and read QBs eyes
Strong spatial awareness in zone coverage and the scramble drill
Quickly able to drive out of his back pedal in off man and zone due to his first step quickness and ability to key and diagnose
Sticky man corner with the lateral quickness and IQ to match WR1's
Good instincts and ball skills in both man and zone coverage
Hip fluidity and long speed to run with deep threats vertically
Quick active hands that can be used to disrupt release timings in press
Athleticism and size to play slot or outside corner
Weaknesses
1st percentile weight
Below average arm length
Struggles with physical receivers at the line of scrimmage
Shows little interest fitting in the run game
Poor ability to take on and disengage from blockers in space
Marginal tackling ability due to limited size and toughness
Summary
Nate Wiggins was a former 4-Star recruit and one of the top players in the 2021 recruiting class from the state of Georgia. The two time All-American was extremely productive in his time at Clemson with roughly 50 solo tackles and 21 pass deflections. Wiggins is one of the best pound for pound coverage players in all of college football. His blend of foot quickness and body control allows him to mirror WRs of varying skillsets to all areas of the field. He shows the lateral agility to match angles both as a press and off man corner, from both the slot and outside. Wiggins is an exceptional athlete with elite long speed - as evidenced by his 4.28 40-yard dash - he is easily able to open up his hips and run vertically with deep threats. Wiggins is best know for his man coverage skills but his is also a plus zone defender. While not asked to do it a ton (32.4% of coverage snaps in zone was 24th lowest in the NCAA) his long speed and instincts allow him to cover large amounts of ground. Wiggins is a smart corner who does an excellent job with his eyes in off coverage. He is very at anticipating and jumping routes when in zone. His first step quickness and ball tracking ability were prime factors in his 21 career PBUs. The main thing holding back Wiggins game is his lack of size. He is 173 pounds with 30.5 inch arms which rank in the 1st and 18th percentile respectively. Wiggins not only has difficulties with bigger receivers in press but also getting off blocks in the run game. When accounting for the fact he is also a poor tackler (17% career missed tackle rate) he become a massive liability in the run game. Wiggins projects as a ready to-go man coverage corner who can play in a variety of systems. His lack of size and struggles versus the run will likely scare off some teams but his athleticism and coverage ability make him a potential first rounder. Wiggins draft range starts at the middle of the first round as the best pure coverage player in this class.