Nate Wiggins injured himself while running a 4.28 at the NFL combine and believes he could've run faster
Clemson’s Nate Wiggins is one of the top cornerback prospects in next month’s 2024 NFL draft, and he certainly caught the attention of scouts on Friday at the NFL combine.
Wiggins delivered a blazing run in the 40-yard dash, which was unofficially clocked at 4.29 seconds at the time. When the official results were released, it came in at an even faster 4.28 seconds, the fastest time recorded so far this week.
That’s the kind of showing you want to put on film in Indianapolis, but unfortunately for Wiggins, it seems to have also ended his day. He came up limping after the run, and NFL Network’s Stacey Dales reported that he felt his groin “pop.”
Oh my, Nate Wiggins. 4.29u. Wow.
: #NFLCombine on @nflnetwork
: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/sgCVDjfADE— NFL (@NFL) March 1, 2024
Wiggins also told Dales he wasn’t happy with his time, as he was expecting to run a flat 4.20 — which would have set a combine record.
Stacey Dales reports that Nate Wiggins felt his groin pop and it's on fire so he's done for the day and was actually unhappy with his time believing he could go faster pic.twitter.com/E9kQHBTwpV
— CJ Fogler account may or may not be notable (@cjzero) March 1, 2024
Dales later reported that Wiggins is dealing with a hip flexor and expects to be fine by Clemson’s pro day, the date for which has not yet been announced.
A two-year starter for the Tigers, Wiggins was named to the First Team All-ACC the past two seasons. He could very well find himself as the first cornerback off the board in April’s draft as he currently ranks as the No. 16 prospect on the latest big board from ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr., just one spot behind top cornerback Cooper DeJean.
Now, we’ll just have to wait to see if Wiggins can indeed hit that 4.20-second mark at his pro day.