Top-25 draft possibility Wiggins leaving Clemson

• Pete Thamel, ESPNNov 29, 2023, 08:28 PM ET

Clemson cornerback Nate Wiggins will leave school early and declare for the 2024 NFL draft, he informed ESPN in a phone interview Wednesday.Wiggins projects as

among the draft’s top cornerbacks, as ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. has him in the top 25 of his latest Big Board rankings. Wiggins will have an opportunity to earn the leading corner spot in the pre-draft process after a strong close to his junior season. Wiggins informed ESPN that he’s not planning to play in Clemson’s bowl game.” I just feel like it was that time,”Wiggins informed ESPN.” All the effort I have actually put in, I feel like it was time for me to state.”Wiggins is a 6-foot-2, 185-pound junior from Atlanta. He emerged as one of the county’s best corners this season and will complete for the top corner draft area with players such as Iowa’s Cooper DeJean, Alabama’s Kool-Aid McKinstry and Georgia’s Kamari Lassiter.Editor’s Picks 2 Associated Wiggins’strengths will be speed and length, as he forecasts to

be a respected tester at the upcoming NFL combine. He finished the season as well as any corner in the nation, consisting of a forced fumble, interception, deflected pass and 7 deals with against North Carolina on Nov. 18. He is thought about the fastest player on Clemson’s group and made first-team All-ACC honors for his 2023 efficiency.

“I feel like I’m the fastest and I seem like I’m the most complete corner in the draft,”Wiggins said.Wiggins has actually been a productive player his entire profession at Clemson, as he signed up 14 pass deflections in 2022 and had 8 breaks up with 2 interceptions in 2023. Scouts have actually discovered his instincts and capability to get his hands on passes.He returned an interception for a goal in each of the past 2 years, consisting of obstructing Drake Maye in the ACC national championship in 2022 for a title-game-record 98-yard goal return.(He has 2 of Maye’s 16 career interceptions. )”I’m a cornerback who is going to lock down the very best receiver and bring ball skills,” he said.”They’re going to get a hard worker. Someone they can depend on and someone who can get the

task done and enjoy their teammates.” Wiggins stated he valued his time at Clemson and credited all the personnel, including head coach Dabo Swinney, chief of football administration Woody McCorvey and cornerbacks coach Mike Reed, for their help in his development.”I’m grateful for Clemson, “Wiggins said.”They established me into a wonderful guy. Dabo and the entire training personnel are so caring and put out energy every day. They enjoy everybody who goes through Clemson. They played a huge part in my

advancement.” Wiggins also thanked his mom, Tamika Lucas Baker, for her guidance to get him to this moment.”This was a dream that I always wanted and it came quickly,”he said.”My mother has had a huge impact on me. She pushed me through the tough times. She always remained on my side and thought in me.”