Ravens Week 15 Rookie Report: Nate Wiggins, Devontez Walker shine vs. Giants

The first-round cornerback battled another top pick while the fourth-round wideout made the most of his first catch.

The Baltimore Ravens returned from their bye refreshed and notched a dominant bounce-back over the New York Giants 35-14 on Sunday and got significant contributions from several members of their 2024 rookie class. Their first two selections continued to stand out while two of their Day 3 picks recorded career milestones impressively.

Of the team’s rookies, only three—outside linebacker Adisa Isaac, center Nick Samac and safety Sanoussi Kane—were inactive. Here is how the rest of Baltimore’s first-year players fared in their latest taste of regular-season NFL action.

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CB Nate Wiggins

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For the fifth game in a row, Wiggins played over 60% of the team’s total defensive snaps with a career-high 90 % in his first official start since Week 6. Wiggins logged 60-plus snaps for the third time this season and on some of those occasions, he lined up across from fellow standout first-round rookie and Giants leading receiver, Malik Nabers. In what was billed as one of his toughest tests coming into the game, Wiggins passed with flying colors, holding Nabers without a catch on two targets, both of which came on back-to-back plays in the red zone near the goal line. On the first didn’t even give him a chance to catch the ball going out of bounds and on the second, he dislodged the ball on a back-shoulder fade before Nabers could establish control and get both feet down inbounds.

According to Next Gen Stats, Wiggins’ catch rate allowed of just 43.6% is the lowest in the league among cornerbacks who have been targeted a minimum of 50 times this season, an incredible mark for a player still learning the tricks of the trade at the professional level and is just scratching the surface of his talent. While he put the clamps on Nabers, his outing on Sunday wasn’t without blemish. Wiggins was called for a 24-yard defensive pass interference in the fourth quarter that aided the Giants’ second penalty-fueled scoring drive of the game.

“There’s a lot of detail to the position,” head coach John Harbaugh said Monday. “He’s making progress across the board with that, and yet he knows he has a whole career’s worth of improvement in front of him still, but he’s doing a good job. He’s made a lot of progress, [and] he’s doing well.”

OT Roger Rosengarten

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The second-rounder continued his upward trajectory coming off the bye with another very impressive outing in which he was one of just five rookie offensive linemen who didn’t allow a single pressure in Week 15. Rosengarten was excellent in pass protection, showing variation in his pass sets and playing with more confidence and power in the run game as the Ravens racked 445 yards of total offense which included 170 yards on the ground with him helping pave the way.

Rosengarten was one of just two offensive linemen on the team to play 100% of the snaps on offense and according to Pro Football Focus, his pass-blocking grade of 79.4 and running-blocking grade of 70.3 were his third-highest marks in both metrics of the season. His linear progression as a starter earned him some high praise from his head coach.

“I think Roger is doing a great job,” Harbaugh said. “He’s definitely playing winning football at right tackle, so that’s what you look for. That’s another guy – kind of talking about those rookies, about the question about the rookies – he’s really established himself out there and done a nice job. I like the way he looks out there.”

WR Devontez Walker

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Walker was active for the sixth time this season and saw his expansive role on offense of the year thus far with Pro Bowl veteran Diontae Johnson out with a suspension. He played a career-high 11 offensive snaps which was only 19% of the team total and made the most of his limited opportunities by recording his first career catch and touchdown on the same play. Walker was the recipient of one of Jackson’s five touchdowns after hauling in a 21-yard strike in the back of the end zone and he showed some nice toe-drag swag in the process, earning the nickname ‘Tez Toe Tap’ from his quarterback.

While his scoring reception was Walker’s most impactful play, it wasn’t the only one he made. He played 15 snaps on special teams—second-most on the team—and recorded his second solo tackle of the season on the Ravens first kickoff of the game and prevented what could’ve been a big return from Giants’ returner Ihmir Smith-Marsette late in the first quarter. According to PFF, his overall grade of 92 was highest of any player on the team on either side of the ball.

RB Rasheen Ali

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The fifth-rounder was active in consecutive games for the first time this season and he did more than just flash in the kick return game as he played just seven snaps on special teams. Ali recorded 54 all-purpose yards with 22 coming on a 34-yard kickoff return in the fourth quarter that was reduced by a holding penalty and the other 32 came on the first eight carries of his career.

With the Ravens up by multiple scores late in the game, Ali got his first offensive snaps of the regular season in his career with 10 and became the first running back on the team not named Derrick Henry or Justice Hill to record a rushing attempt in a game this season. Ali was impressive as a ball carrier in his first taste of extended action with how he displayed good vision, made sharp cuts and finished runs with power as he picked up a pair of first downs that helped chew up nearly five minutes off the clock.

DB Beau Brade

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For the eighth time in the last nine weeks, the undrafted rookie safety out of Maryland was active on game day for special teams duties. He played 16 snaps on special teams, which tied him with veteran linebackers Malik Harrison, Chris Board and Kristian Welch for the most on the team on Sunday.