Baltimore has always been one of the best teams at drafting, and the top brass hopes this year will be no exception. They made some excellent moves, including selecting Nate Wiggins, Roger Rosengarten and TJ Tampa.
With that being said, here are the best moves the Ravens made in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Drafting Nate Wiggins
The rush on quarterbacks and offensive players in general at the top half of round one pushed some great players down the draft board. One of those players was Clemson cornerback Nate Wiggins. Some regarded Wiggins as the best corner in this year’s class amongst a loaded group. Looking at his advanced stats and it’s easy to see why.
Wiggins shined everywhere in just about any capacity at Clemson. He was dominant both outside and in the slot. He showed up against some big-time players, too. Wiggins held Florida State wide receiver Keon Coleman, who was selected by the Buffalo Bills with the 33rd overall pick, without a catch whenever those two matched up.
That’s important to remember because of Wiggins’ frame. He measured in at 173 pounds at the NFL combine in February. He also ran a blistering 4.27 40-yard dash, which is important for a corner to keep up with all the speedy receivers the NFL has to offer. But he could get bullied by bigger receivers with how frail he is at the moment.
The Ravens didn’t seem to mind, nor should they. If Wiggins starts immediately, he has plenty of help around him in Baltimore’s secondary in Marlon Humphrey, Kyle Hamilton and Marcus Williams. Brandon Stephens is also a quality player who can start while Wiggins gets acclimated to the NFL.
The Ravens had one of the best secondaries in the league last year. They ranked second in EPA allowed per dropback behind only the Cleveland Browns. Baltimore didn’t need Wiggins, but the value of taking him 30th overall was too good to pass up.
Drafting Roger Rosengarten
The Ravens didn’t need to address cornerback, but offensive line was a position they had to reinforce. They lost three starters from last year’s offensive line in Morgan Moses, John Simpson and Kevin Zeitler. They were eventually able to find one in Washington’s Roger Rosengarten. The Ravens took him at the end of Round 2.
They got a great value on Rosengarten, who should fill in for Moses at right tackle immediately. That’s the position he played primarily in Seattle with the Washington Huskies, and he excelled at that spot. Rosengarten didn’t allow a single sack in his college career on the right side.
Protecting Lamar Jackson is of the utmost priority for the Ravens. Rosengarten will absolutely help with that. Getting him at the end of the second was a steal for Baltimore.
Drafting TJ Tampa
The Ravens doubled down on cornerback in the fourth round when they took Iowa State’s TJ Tampa. Tampa had a second-round grade entering the draft, but slipped all the way to the fourth round. Teams reportedly are worried about his closing speed, but there’s no mistaking that he can play.
At the very least, Tampa provides depth at a premier position and insurance in case Wiggins doesn’t pan out. But there’s a world where Tampa exceeds all expectations and becomes a starting-caliber corner in his own right. In the fourth round, it didn’t the Ravens to take the shot at him. The reward so much outweighs the risk.
