Ravens Week 18 Rookie Report: Wiggins scores on first profession choose

The Baltimore Ravens gained their fourth straight sport to safe 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 within the common season finale. They did so with significant contributions from a number of members of their 2024 rookie class. Their first two alternatives performed outstanding roles whereas a number of of their Day 3 picks and lone undrafted free agent noticed extra motion than they’re accustomed to.

Of the workforce’s rookies, solely two—exterior linebacker Adisa Isaac and heart Nick Samac—have been inactive. Right here is how the remainder of Baltimore’s first-year gamers fared of their newest style of regular-season NFL motion.

CB Nate Wiggins

Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Photos

For the eighth sport in a row, Wiggins performed over 60% of the workforce’s whole defensive snaps with a career-high 92%. On his sixth of 54 snaps on that aspect of the ball, he made his greatest play of the season by not solely corralling his first profession interception however returning it 26 yards for his first profession landing and the primary factors of the sport.

“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 mentioned. “My interception took longer than expected, but [what a way] to get my first pick-six.”

Wiggins additionally recorded his twenty fifth solo deal with of the season to convey his mixed whole to 33 to go together with 13 move breakups—second most on the workforce—and a compelled fumble. When the Ravens chosen him No. 30 general within the 2024 NFL Draft, they believed they have been getting the “best pure cover corner” in all the class and the previous Clemson standout not solely didn’t disappoint however exceeded expectations. Regardless that he solely began six of the 15 video games he appeared in, he performed a starter’s workload for many of them and solely allowed 34 receptions on 63 targets and didn’t hand over a single landing on 497 protection snaps. His opposing passer score allowed of 51.8 is the third-lowest within the league and his 43.6% catch price allowed is the bottom mark within the NFL.

“[Nate Wiggins] is a big part of what we’re doing,” head coach John Harbaugh mentioned. “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

Photograph by Greg Fiume/Getty Photos

The second-rounder continued to appear like a stud in his 14th straight begin to shut out the common season. He tied Professional Bowl left deal with Ronnie Stanley for the fewest pressures given up by Ravens offensive linemen with only one and that included some reps in opposition to reigning Defensive Participant of the Yr Myles Garrett who lined up throughout from him on a few events. Rosengarten aided within the effort to maintain Lamar Jackson clear so he may turn into the primary quarterback to throw for 4,000-plus passing yards and run for 900-plus speeding yards. He additionally helped pave the way in which for the speeding assault to blow up within the second half and end with a 3rd straight 200-plus-yard speeding efficiency, their seventh of the season—surpassing the Philadelphia Eagles for many within the NFL.

WR Devontez Walker

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Walker was lively for the ninth time this season and noticed his second-highest variety of snaps on offense whereas nonetheless contributing to particular groups. The fourth-rounder’s 15 offensive snaps have been one shy of tying his profession excessive of 16 he set the week prior. Walker spent most of these snaps blocking on the boundary within the run sport and wasn’t focused on any of the routes he ran. His 19 snaps on particular groups tied a fellow rookie for the second-most on the workforce.

CB T.J. Tampa

Photograph by Todd Rosenberg/Getty Photos

The fourth-round cornerback was lively for the third straight sport since being activated from injured reserve and set a brand new single-game profession excessive for whole tackles with a pair. One got here his second of simply 4 defensive snaps on the Browns’ final offensive possession of the sport when he tackled Professional Bowl extensive receiver Jerry Jeudy for a four-yard achieve. His second occurred whereas masking a kickoff following the Ravens’ second landing when he joined forces with one other rookie to convey down the returner on the Cleveland 40-yard line within the second quarter. Tampa’s 18 snaps on particular groups have been the third most each amongst rookies and all gamers on the workforce.

RB Rasheen Ali

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The fifth-rounder was lively for the fifth straight sport and didn’t document a keep it up offense for the primary time within the final 4 video games, he did obtain his first two profession targets as a move catcher out of the backfield on simply 5 offensive snaps for the second 12 months in a row. Sadly, he didn’t document his first profession reception on both as one was on an errant move from Jackson who was being pressured and Ali let the opposite bounce off his palms for an incompletion. He noticed simply three snaps on particular groups and joined forces with Tampa to make his first profession deal with on an help whereas masking a kick.

DB Sanoussi Kane

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In his third sport again in motion from coping with an damage, Kane noticed motion on protection for the fourth time this season with 4 snaps on the Browns’ closing offensive drive of the sport. The seventh-round security recorded his fifth solo deal with, the ninth whole of his profession on the Ravens’ second kickoff of the sport after Wiggins’ pick-six to convey down the returner after a achieve of 28 yards with a vicious hit that stopped him in his tracks and obtained a response from the gang. Kane performed the overwhelming majority of his snaps on particular groups with 20 which was probably the most amongst rookies and tied linebackers Malik Harrison, Chris Board and Kristian Welch for probably the most amongst all gamers on the workforce.

DB Beau Brade

Photograph by Jordon Kelly/Icon Sportswire through Getty Photos

For the eleventh time this season, the undrafted rookie security out of Maryland was lively on sport day and it was not only for particular groups duties in back-to-back weeks for the primary time. He recorded the second-most defensive snaps of his profession with 4, all of which got here late within the fourth quarter. Brade additionally recorded 19 snaps on particular groups which tied him with Walker for the second-most on the workforce on Saturday.