7th-round pick could be a steal
Cards hope S Wiggins develops into a starter
In the past 20-plus years, the Cardinals have only struck gold twice when they’ve selected a defensive back with a seventh-round pick.
There was former Arizona State safety Pat Tillman in 1998, who played four very productive seasons with the Cardinals before walking away from the NFL to join the U.S. Army in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks and sadly, dying from friendly fire in Afghanistan.
Then there was former Michigan State cornerback/safety Renaldo Hill in 2001, the current defensive coordinator of the Chargers. Hill made his mark during his four seasons in Arizona before leaving as an unrestricted free agent and going on to start 114 of his 141 career games over 10 seasons, which included stops with the Raiders, Dolphins and Broncos.
The Cardinals think they might have found their next seventh-round success story in former Cincinnati Bearcats safety James Wiggins, whom they selected with the 243rd pick overall.
Wiggins, who professes to have a deep admiration for Cardinals All-Pro free safety Budda Baker, just hopes he doesn’t lose his cookies the first time he shakes Baker’s hand. That could happen as early as next weekend if Baker happens to be around the team’s facility during the team’s upcoming three-day, rookie mini-camp.
Whenever the introduction takes place, it won’t be lost on Wiggins, who was named a semifinalist last season for the Jim Thorpe Award, given annually to the best defensive back in college football.
“To me, it’s kind of like you’re meeting a celebrity but also you’re working with him at the same time,” Wiggins said Thursday during a video conference call with reporters. “So, my mindset is like try not to be star-struck at first when I meet him because it’s like, ‘Man, you’re the goat at the safety position here. It’s an honor just to be in your presence but also I get to learn from you.’
“That’s what I’m excited about and just take in all the knowledge that he teaches me and watching how he plays the game and why he does it, so I understand that and hopefully one day will play like him or better.”
Wiggins was the 21st safety taken in last week’s draft, but he could be a steal for the Cardinals because of his future potential as a starter and his talents to play right away in all four core units on special teams. In fact, Cardinals special teams coach Jeff Rodgers has indicated
that Wiggins was one of the best special teams core players in the draft.
“Hopefully, he can develop into a starter,” Cardinals General Manager Steve Keim said. “Really explosive player, ran in the mid 4.4’s, so he brings speed and athleticism to your core special teams units as well as the ability to back up at both free and strong (safety) early on.”
The 5-foot-11, 205-pound Wiggins hails from Miami and originally committed to the University of Miami before decommitting after the Hurricanes made a change at head coach and he felt he no longer seemed to be a big part of the program’s plans. He had a sensational sophomore season with the 11-2 Bearcats in 2018, which included four interceptions, but then he suffered a torn ACL in his left knee just before the start of the 2019 season.
He returned last year to help the Bearcats finish 9-1 and earned second-team All-American honors after recording 32 tackles, eight passes defensed with an interception, a sack and a forced fumble. He allowed just 11 catches for 84 yards in coverage.
As much as he wants to compete for playing time at safety and hopefully, one day get a chance to start alongside Baker in the Cardinals’ secondary, Wiggins knows he first needs to make an impact on special teams. He doesn’t mind the notion that Keim and Rodgers see him more as a force on special teams than safety for the immediate future.
“No, not at all. I just take it as a compliment, really,” Wiggins said. “Special teams is an important part of the game. I want to be in the starting lineup, but to
get to that point you have to be a dog on special teams.”
Besides, he said, he knows he will catch the coaches’ eyes this offseason by staying healthy, staying fit and most importantly, learning his playbook.
“It’s the best feeling for a coach to bring in a rookie that knows most of the stuff and all he has to do is critique him a little bit,” Wiggins said. “That’s what I’m going to be doing, is staying in my playbook as much as I can so when I get there, there’s not much he can really teach me. It’s just about playing ball now.”
Wiggins envisions himself as the team’s future answer at strong safety, which would allow him play alongside Baker one day, and he thinks they could make an ideal tandem.
“With my style of play with Budda, we can disguise more,” he said. “He can cover, I can cover, so to disguise like, ‘All right, he’s not just a cover safety, he’s a dog safety, he’s a free safety and me and him can mix it up. I think that’s what we can bring to the table, to confuse the quarterback. He can’t get a pre-snap read of what we’re doing as a defense and next thing you know, me and him are blitzing or coming off the edge or inside the ‘A’ gap and getting the sack or a turnover. We can bring a lot to the table, me and Budda.”
Wiggins isn’t the only draft pick the Cardinals believe can turn into a steal. They feel just as strongly about what they might be able to get out of their two new cornerbacks — fourth-round pick Marco Wilson from Florida and sixthround selection Tay Gowan from Central Florida.