Everyone in the Ravens building seems to be in agreement — cornerback Nate Wiggins is supremely talented.

But consistency, consistency, consistency is key if he hopes to realize his potential to rank among the greats of NFL shutdown corners.

It’s the word coaches, teammates, Wiggins and his trainer repeated as the next step for Wiggins in his second year in the league.

“I think he’s one of the more talented guys, if not the most talented guy, in our DB room,” Pro Bowl safety Kyle Hamilton said. “And I think, for him, it’s just consistency every week. He has the ability to go shut down guys every single week, but he still just turned 22 and is already a great player in this league.”

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Cornerback Chidobe Awuzie was not a Raven for Wiggins’ rookie season, but he said Year 2 presents a challenge for many players.

“Usually, second-year players, you have a decision to make,” Awuzie said. “You could stay kind of in that rookie mindset, or you can try to take your game to the next level mentally, with your approach, your preparation. You’ve got a full offseason for the first time. And I’ve seen a lot of those things.”

Justin Miller, a former NFL cornerback and Wiggins’ trainer, started to see the change when Wiggins’ rookie year wrapped up.

Wiggins calls Miller a lot to talk through things, both ball and life. For years, he has looked to Miller for guidance. During the offseason, the conversation went differently.

“He called me with his game plan, as opposed to me giving him mine, my assessments,” Miller said. ”So I think that’s a testament he’s becoming a pro. He knows what he needs to get better at.”

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Miller has known him since Wiggins was in eighth grade and identified his skill immediately.

“I told his mother that I think, if she kept him in there, he kept playing and he kept practicing and kept doing the stuff that we were working on, that he had the opportunity of being a Day 1 guy,” Miller said.

Miller was right. At just 20 years old, Wiggins became the Ravens’ No. 1 draft pick. He was given playing time immediately and eventually became a starter.

He also turned 21 and learned about the differences between being a professional and a college player.

On the field, one of the biggest differences he struggled with, as he told The Banner in his weekly rookie check-ins, was the different rules in how he can use his hands. He was called for four defensive-pass-interference, two defensive holding and two illegal-contact penalties.

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Wiggins suffered a setback when he was in a car accident. He was dealing with whiplash and had to sit out Week 2. Miller said he had to “recalibrate.” Wiggins’ mother, Tamika, also said he’s the youngest child in the family and had to learn how to be independent at Clemson. Baltimore presented another step in the journey toward adulthood.

Miller said Wiggins was frustrated by his lack of playing time, which was in part due to his recovery but also the fact he hadn’t earned it yet.

Baltimore Ravens cornerback Nate Wiggins (2) prepares to run a drill during the team’s training camp at the Under Armour Performance Center in Owings Mills, Md. on Wednesday, July 13, 2025.
Wiggins was a standout during training camp. (Ulysses Muñoz/The Banner)

“I told him, like, that’s a part of being a pro,” Miller said. “You have to earn the respect, not only of your coaches but your peers, and part of that is you’re playing with consistency.”

Consistency — the key word, again. But Miller explained to him it wasn’t just about what he was doing on the field.

“If you’re consistent every day, if you’re on time, you be the first one in the meetings, you’re sitting down, you’re having conversations with people, you’re asking them about stuff, trying to figure out the weakness for the defense and figure out the little things like that, then people genuinely tend to want to listen to you more,” Miller said. “They want to talk to you.”

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Miller, who entered the league at age 21, had tried to impress on Wiggins the qualities of a pro since he started working with him. He also had pitted Wiggins against older, more experienced opponents since he was 14. But, as Miller learned himself, there are things you just have to learn by experience.

Around halfway through last season, he started to notice Wiggins’ maturation speeding up. And then they used his first offseason to review what he’d learned and work so he’d come back even readier.

They worked on putting on weight, which Wiggins said would help him absorb collisions more easily. And they worked on those pesky defensive pass interferences.

“In the NFL, you have to truly play with your feet,” Miller said. “So, if you play good with your feet at the line of scrimmage, then you truly win the game. ... You have to win within the first 5 yards with your feet. If you can do that, then you eliminate a lot of route concepts.”

When Wiggins returned for training camp, he got off to a hot start. Despite the lack of pads, he stood out for his pass breakups and coverage. In one practice, he made two interceptions against quarterback Lamar Jackson.

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He also had two new veteran cornerbacks on his team in Awuzie and Jaire Alexander, who both signed in free agency. Wiggins said he’s still trying to figure out just what being a pro means, but he’s using the resources around him.

“He’s always bouncing things off me,” Alexander said. “Like what do I see here? How can I be better? So a part of his Year 2 journey is growing up, and he’s doing that very well.”

Wiggins hits Joe Flacco as the Browns quarterback throws an incomplete pass in the second quarter. (Jerry Jackson/The Banner)

Awuzie said Wiggins also peppers him with questions and has become one of his closest friends on the team.

“He’s always got some questions about receiver splits or concepts they might run, things to get his body right, how to watch film, note taking, just little things like that,” Awuzie said. “And I’ve seen a really big improvement in him, like the results and the process.”

Although Wiggins had a quiet middle of camp, he said coaches and teammates told him he had a really good one overall. That was proven with his strong start.

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Although he was called for another pass interference in the season opener against the Buffalo Bills, he rebounded with an exceptional game against the Cleveland Browns after watching lots of film. The ability to rebound is one of the key qualities needed for a successful career as a cornerback.

He capped his outstanding coverage, which earned him a PFF score of 80.7, with the team’s first interception of the season.

“I was lit,” Awuzie said with a laugh. “He turned me up. He turned me up. You know, I jumped on his back, I was just so excited that he got one.”

Alexander was equally excited from the sidelines — although he joked that he can now say he’s faster than Wiggins because Wiggins got taken down by a lineman right before the end zone.

It’s just the start of what they all think Wiggins can do, and he’s looking forward to the next chance to prove himself with the Ravens’ Monday night matchup against the Detroit Lions.

“I look for every week just taking my challenge head on,” Wiggins said. “They said they want me to lock down No. 1 [Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams], and that’s what i”m going to do."