Fueled by steak and mashed potatoes, Nate Wiggins ready to take game to next level in Year 2

As a rookie in 2024, cornerback Nate Wiggins impressed the Ravens coaching staff enough that he earned more playing time as the season went on — despite reminding defensive coordinator Zach Orr of “a chicken with his head cut off” at times.

As Wiggins ran around, “trying to figure out what to do,” as Orr described it, the rookie made 33 tackles and an interception across 15 games with six starts. He allowed 33 receptions, which placed him in the top third of cornerbacks in the league.

Now, as he heads into Year 2, it’s clear to Orr that Wiggins is more comfortable in his role and in the NFL, setting him up for what they hope is a big season.

“Now he understands the system,” Orr said. “He understands the defense. He’s been in the league for a year, so he understands formations from offenses, so now he can really just hone in on his technique. Man, that guy right there, [if] he takes his technique to another level on a consistent basis, the sky is the limit for him.”

Wiggins has also returned with a new and improved frame to help him as he tries to take that leap.

His first interview of the 2025 offseason kicked off with a discussion of how he came back bigger and stronger — a reversal of the conversations surrounding Wiggins 15 months ago when fans, pundits and scouts debated if he was too small for the NFL.

He had played at 6-foot-1, 185 pounds in his final season in college. He was a hard-hitting defensive back, but his calling card was speed. Knowing that, he felt pressure to perform well in the 40-yard dash at the NFL scouting combine.

As the test approached, Wiggins’ appetite departed.

“I just didn’t eat at the combine,” Wiggins said after being drafted.

He ran a 4.28-second 40. But he also weighed in at 173 pounds, which ranked in the second percentile among cornerbacks.

Despite entering an NFL nutrition and conditioning program, Wiggins failed to significantly pack on pounds once he started eating again. By the end of the season, Wiggins was floating from 176 to 178 pounds.

“It’s a hard thing for me,” Wiggins said. “I have a fast metabolism, so it’s really hard for me to keep weight. So, when I gain weight, I’m really happy.”

His weight didn’t prevent him from laying receivers out with hits or from stuffing runs (he earned an 80.5 PFF grade for his run defense, 15th among cornerbacks). But it meant he suffered extra wear without anything to cushion him from the impact of his own blows.

“Really just, I was just [getting hit] a lot,” Wiggins said. “Injury wasn’t my big thing last year, just hitting the ground,” Wiggins said. “With my shoulders hitting the ground, [my] body couldn’t absorb the contact. So it was really just getting my body [to] take the contact.”

So, upon the season’s conclusion, Wiggins began to eat.

After months of protein, mashed potatoes and lots of steak, Wiggins finally got some weight to stick on his slender frame. When he returned to the facility, he weighed in at 185 pounds.

Orr was impressed with the sight of a bigger Wiggins.

“That’s a testament to him and the strength coaches coming up with a great plan,” Orr said. “Obviously, he followed it. The weight is real, so that’s good to see.”

But the level of focus that accompanies Wiggins’ new look is what’s really sticking out to Orr.

Wiggins said he didn’t feel like a “real pro” last season, but he does now. He has a better understanding of what it takes to make it in this league, and he thinks it will pay off.

It’s the early days of camp, where attendance is voluntary, but Wiggins has been out there every day. He was among the many players who sought out new secondary coach Chuck Pagano for advice, saying he has been “picking up knowledge and everything he knows about the game.”

“The main thing [when] he came in that he was focused on me about was my press,” Wiggins shared. “He was [saying to] just get my hands on, since I’m probably one of the fastest guys, so he was [saying to] get my hands on receivers, shoot my hands. [He said, if I do that], I can really run with any receiver in the league.”

Although organized team activities are largely instructional and have thinned competition levels because of star players coming in and out, Wiggins already has one of the highlights of the offseason.

With the team running a drill at the far end of the field, the line of tall offensive linemen shielded much of the defense from view. But, as quarterback Cooper Rush let loose a pass, Wiggins appeared above the blockade of linemen as he flew through the air to snag Rush’s pass, well before it could make it to a receiver.

It was a small glimpse of the new Wiggins, who is heavier but is by no means weighed down by the 10 new pounds on his frame.

“Well, you saw him today, right?” coach John Harbaugh said after Friday’s practice. “What did he have? A pick and a key breakup in a critical situation. I expect him to be locked in and focused on the little things. Raindrops make oceans, man. [He is] locked in on every little detail to be great, and that’s what he’s focusing on.”