It’s quite unlikely that the Detroit Lions will improve their pass defense with a single acquisition. However, Kyle Stackpole of CBS Sports reported that Clemson cornerback Nate Wiggins might be the first addition to a secondary that finished the previous season ranked 27th in the NFL in terms of passing yards allowed.
Stackpole’s NFL mock draft from February 16 placed Wiggins with the Lions at No. 29 overall.
“The Lions’ pass defense needs to improve if they hope to win a Super Bowl for the first time,” Stackpole wrote. “Nate Wiggins would be a great start toward improving the secondary with his 6-foot-2 frame and lightning speed.”
Stackpole has been a mock draft expert since the Super Bowl, joining NFLmocks.com’s Cody Spears and Ben Solak of The Ringer in projecting Wiggins to the Lions at No. 29 overall.
In the most recent NFL Draft, there have been several obvious top picks at cornerback. However, it doesn’t seem to be the case this year.
Not that the 2024 draft class is devoid of excellent cornerback prospects. On January 30, NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah listed five cornerbacks among his top 32 players.
It’s a little unclear where each cornerback prospect will land, though, as there isn’t a clear favorite or top tier at the position this year.
Wiggins is the #1 cornerback and the 11th overall recruit in the 2024 class according to ESPN’s big board. Wiggins is ranked No. 13 overall and as the second-best cornerback by Pro Football Focus.
It seems doubtful that he will slip to the Lions at No. 29 based on those assessments.
On Bleacher Report’s draft big board, Wiggins is ranked No. 50 overall and eighth among cornerbacks. Wiggins is ranked 30th overall and fifth at cornerback by Jeremiah.
It will be intriguing to watch how Wiggins performs in the offseason workouts given how controversial his draft stock is. Such showings have the potential to drastically change his draft position.
