Ravens Week 18 Rookie Report: Wiggins scores on first career pick

Cleveland Browns v Baltimore Ravens — Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images

The first-round cornerback recorded an impactful career first while the less-heralded players saw more action than usual in another blowout.

The Baltimore Ravens won their fourth straight game to secure back-to-back AFC North titles and head into the playoffs on a heater with a 35-10 blowout of the Cleveland Browns on Saturday in the regular season finale. They did so with meaningful contributions from several members of their 2024 rookie class. Their first two selections played prominent roles while several of their Day 3 picks and lone undrafted free agent saw more action than they’re accustomed to.

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

CB Nate Wiggins

NFL: Cleveland Browns at Baltimore Ravens

For the eighth game in a row, Wiggins played over 60% of the team’s total defensive snaps with a career-high 92%. On his sixth of 54 snaps on that side of the ball, he made his biggest play of the season by not only corralling his first career interception but returning it 26 yards for his first career touchdown and the first points of the game.

PICK-SIX @WigginNathaniel!!!!

Tune in on ESPN!!! pic.twitter.com/GdjVv5yvwC

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) January 4, 2025

“We were just in Cover 2. I was just trying to bait the quarterback, but he threw it right to me. I just had to show them my speed,” Wiggins said. “My interception took longer than expected, but [what a way] to get my first pick-six.”

Wiggins also recorded his 25th solo tackle of the season to bring his combined total to 33 to go along with 13 pass breakups—second most on the team—and a forced fumble. When the Ravens selected him No. 30 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft, they believed they were getting the “best pure cover corner” in the entire class and the former Clemson standout not only didn’t disappoint but exceeded expectations. Even though he only started six of the 15 games he appeared in, he played a starter’s workload for most of them and only allowed 34 receptions on 63 targets and didn’t give up a single touchdown on 497 coverage snaps. His opposing passer rating allowed of 51.8 is the third-lowest in the league and his 43.6% catch rate allowed is the lowest mark in the NFL.

“[Nate Wiggins] is a big part of what we’re doing,” head coach John Harbaugh said. “He’s established himself as a starter. I think he’s playing great ball. He had a couple other ones in his hands that he was frustrated with earlier in the season, so we’ve been on him a little bit. Everybody has been talking about getting that first pick, and to get it and take it back to the house, that’s a nice way to start.”

OT Roger Rosengarten

The second-rounder continued to look like a stud in his 14th straight start to close out the regular season. He tied Pro Bowl left tackle Ronnie Stanley for the fewest pressures given up by Ravens offensive linemen with just one and that included some reps against reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett who lined up across from him on a couple of occasions. Rosengarten aided in the effort to keep Lamar Jackson clean so he could become the first quarterback to throw for 4,000-plus passing yards and run for 900-plus rushing yards. He also helped pave the way for the rushing attack to explode in the second half and finish with a third straight 200-plus-yard rushing performance, their seventh of the season—surpassing the Philadelphia Eagles for most in the NFL.

WR Devontez Walker

Walker was active for the ninth time this season and saw his second-highest number of snaps on offense while still contributing to special teams. The fourth-rounder’s 15 offensive snaps were one shy of tying his career high of 16 he set the week prior. Walker spent most of those snaps blocking on the boundary in the run game and wasn’t targeted on any of the routes he ran. His 19 snaps on special teams tied a fellow rookie for the second-most on the team.

CB T.J. Tampa

The fourth-round cornerback was active for the third straight game since being activated from injured reserve and set a new single-game career high for total tackles with a pair. One came his second of just four defensive snaps on the Browns’ last offensive possession of the game when he tackled Pro Bowl wide receiver Jerry Jeudy for a four-yard gain. His second occurred while covering a kickoff following the Ravens’ second touchdown when he joined forces with another rookie to bring down the returner at the Cleveland 40-yard line in the second quarter. Tampa’s 18 snaps on special teams were the third most both among rookies and all players on the team.

RB Rasheen Ali

The fifth-rounder was active for the fifth straight game and didn’t record a carry on offense for the first time in the last four games, he did receive his first two career targets as a pass catcher out of the backfield on just five offensive snaps for the second year in a row. Unfortunately, he didn’t record his first career reception on either as one was on an errant pass from Jackson who was being pressured and Ali let the other bounce off his hands for an incompletion. He saw just three snaps on special teams and joined forces with Tampa to make his first career tackle on an assist while covering a kick.

DB Sanoussi Kane

In his third game back in action from dealing with an injury, Kane saw action on defense for the fourth time this season with four snaps on the Browns’ final offensive drive of the game. The seventh-round safety recorded his fifth solo tackle, the ninth total of his career on the Ravens’ second kickoff of the game after Wiggins’ pick-six to bring down the returner after a gain of 28 yards with a vicious hit that stopped him in his tracks and got a reaction from the crowd. Kane played the vast majority of his snaps on special teams with 20 which was the most among rookies and tied linebackers Malik Harrison, Chris Board and Kristian Welch for the most among all players on the team.

DB Beau Brade

For the 11th time this season, the undrafted rookie safety out of Maryland was active on game day and it was not just for special teams duties in back-to-back weeks for the first time. He recorded the second-most defensive snaps of his career with four, all of which came late in the fourth quarter. Brade also recorded 19 snaps on special teams which tied him with Walker for the second-most on the team on Saturday.