The Detroit Lions very likely won’t fix their pass defense with just one addition. But CBS Sports’ Kyle Stackpole suggested Clemson cornerback Nate Wiggins could be the first piece to improving a secondary that ranked 27th in the NFL in passing yards allowed last season.
Stackpole slotted Wiggins to the Lions at No. 29 overall in his February 16 NFL mock draft.
“If the Lions want to make their first Super Bowl appearance, they’ll need their pass defense to be better,” Stackpole wrote. “Nate Wiggins, with his 6-foot-2 frame and lightning speed, would be a great start toward improving the secondary.”
Stackpole joined The Ringer’s Ben Solak and NFLmocks.com’s Cody Spears as mock draft experts who have predicted Wiggins to the Lions at No. 29 overall since the Super Bowl.
Where Nate Wiggins Could Land in the 2024 Draft
There have been top clear-cut choices at cornerback in recent NFL drafts. But this year, that doesn’t appear to be the case.
Not that there aren’t great cornerback prospects to be found in the 2024 draft class. NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah had five cornerbacks ranked among his top 32 players on January 30.
But with no consensus top cornerback or top tier at the position this year, it’s a little unpredictable where each cornerback prospect could land.
ESPN’s big board has Wiggins ranked the top cornerback and the No. 11 overall prospect in the 2024 class. Pro Football Focus has Wiggins rated the second-best cornerback and No. 13 overall.
Those ratings appear to make it unlikely he will fall to the Lions at No. 29.
However, Bleacher Report’s draft big board has Wiggins ranked seventh among cornerbacks and No. 50 overall. Jeremiah has Wiggins rated fifth at cornerback and 30th overall.
With Wiggins’ draft stock polarizing, it will be interesting to see how he performs in the offseason workouts. Those performances could significantly shift his draft positioning.
It could also influence whether or not the Lions consider Wiggins a target on draft night.
How Wiggins Could Fit With the Lions
While Detroit’s interest in Wiggins has yet to be determined, the Lions are a fit for any cornerback in the first round of the NFL draft.
In addition to 27th in pass defense, the Lions finished the 2023 season 29th in net yards allowed per pass attempt. They also allowed 28 passing touchdowns. Only five teams allowed more.
Landing Wiggins would also give the Lions something they didn’t have a lot of in their secondary last season — speed.
“Wiggins is a tall, long cornerback with outstanding speed. He is effective in press coverage,” Jeremiah wrote. “Overall, Wiggins is dripping with athleticism and physical traits, but he needs to be more invested in the run game.”
The Lions were very committed to stop the run in 2023. They were fifth in rushing yards allowed and yards yielded per carry. Furthermore, no team allowed fewer rushing touchdowns.
One potential concern with Detroit drafting Wiggins will be the potential of weakening the team’s defensive strength. But with defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn returning, that’s probably less of an issue.
Any prospect the Lions target late in the first round isn’t going to be a finished product.
But if it’s a fast cornerback who can significantly help in pass coverage, that’s a step in the right direction for the Detroit defense.
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Lions Projected to Target ‘Lightning Speed’ to Begin Fixing Pass Defense