CAMP NOTES: Ravens Rising Stars

Wiggins and Starks Shine on Day 3

It looked like the Ravens’ social media team might have Lamar Jackson’s daily practice highlight when he uncorked a deep ball down the left sideline to a streaking Rashod Bateman. Until Nate Wiggins, sprinting step for step with Bateman, lunged at the ball, knocked it out of the air, and stole the spotlight for himself.

.@WigginNathaniel on fuego pic.twitter.com/PRE2gbnHdx

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) July 25, 2025

Later on, the two squared off again, with Bateman running a comeback that would’ve shaken most NFL cornerbacks. Not Wiggins, who came flying in for another PBU. He celebrated that one while executing a synchronized seatbelt with new teammate Jaire Alexander.

We could get used to this pic.twitter.com/gKF988l45V

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) July 25, 2025

Wiggins also collapsed on a screen to Anthony Miller in an instant; in a game, it would have likely been an incompletion or a tackle for loss.

That’s the level of play that the Ravens have come to expect out of their 2024 first-round pick after a quietly excellent rookie year. Better safety play was the main factor in the secondary’s turnaround last year, but their improvements also coincided with Wiggins stepping into a full-time role. From Week 11 onward, he played at least 75% of the team’s snaps in all but one game and finished the regular season without allowing a single touchdown when targeted.

If that’s how Wiggins played as a 21-year-old rookie, what would a second-year leap look like? When asked about Nate, Kyle Hamilton, didn’t mince words.

“I think he’s going to be one of the best in the league. I truly believe that. Super excited to see what he does in Year 2. I think he’s probably going to have one of the bigger jumps from last year to this year of anybody on the team.”

Wiggins already made a physical leap this offseason by adding 10 pounds to play at 185. He hasn’t lost an ounce of his trademark speed and will now be better equipped to handle stronger wide receivers and contribute against the run.

The Ravens could barely hide their excitement when they landed Wiggins with the 30th overall pick in last year’s draft. They raved about his speed, length, and cover skills and repeatedly mentioned his youth to highlight his potential. A little over a year later, Wiggins is shaping up to be one of the steals of his draft class and an obvious cornerstone for Baltimore’s defense moving forward.

Hamilton had similarly high praise for Malaki Starks, saying that the rookie safety was “miles ahead” of where he was as a rookie.

“Once it all clicks for him, he’s going to be one of the best in the league. I’m confident in saying that.”

It’s hard to co-sign that statement before a single down has been played, but so far, the Georgia standout has been as advertised. John Harbaugh said in the spring that he hadn’t seen Starks make a mistake on the field, and he echoed that sentiment on Friday.

“So far, he’s playing at a really high level. He has passed every test, but there’s more tests to come.”

Starks had an interception on Thursday, but he was less active on Friday. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. Evaluating safety play can be vulnerable to survivorship bias; that is, focusing on the players who make the most plays on the ball ignores the players whose coverage was good enough not to get targeted.

Starks certainly has ball skills, but that’s less important than his ability to execute his coverage assignments and be in the right place. He is laser-focused on learning his role in the Ravens defense. To hear him tell it, that’s his favorite thing to do.

“My biggest thing is I just love to learn.”

No kidding. Over the course of his press conference, Starks said “learn” or “learning” 13 times. He is passionate about the process and seems to pride himself on coming up with questions to ask his teammates and coaches.

“I know in order to learn the system inside and out, I have to have questions. I have to be curious about everything, and I think that’s what I’ve been doing so far.”

The rookie will certainly have his growing pains, but he’ll probably see them as learning moments.

Bombs Away From Loop

Almost all of the Ravens’ starting jobs are set, and that serves to intensify the focus on the kicking competition between sixth-rounder Tyler Loop and undrafted free agent John Hoyland. Loop had a few shaky moments in the spring, and the first two days of training camp gave the impression of a tight race. Loop didn’t miss a kick on Wednesday, followed by a 9-for-9 day from Hoyland on Thursday.

On Friday, Loop took things further, literally. His barrage of field goals started somewhat casually as part of an end-of-game drill with four makes within 30 yards. He started to stretch out – 32, 35, 38 – before converting from 41 and 42 yards to match Hoyland. Then he moved back. Way back.

With Jordan Stout crouched on the opposing 47-yard line, Loop stepped up and hammered a 63-yard field goal through the uprights to the delight of, well, pretty much everyone. The crowd cheered, his teammates shouted their approval, and a beaming John Harbaugh delivered a high-five to his rookie kicker.

If that isn’t long enough, check out the 68-yarder posted by the Ravens’ social media team:

Loop from 68 pic.twitter.com/YYyhACBu8T

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) July 25, 2025

Loop’s leg strength was always going to be his biggest weapon in the battle for the Ravens’ kicking job, and this kind of success early in training camp is only going to build his confidence moving forward.

Best of the Rest

● Other than when he targeted Wiggins, Lamar Jackson had a solid but unspectacular day through the air. A few of Zach Orr’s blitz packages forced him to get rid of the ball early, but he still found a few opportunities to take off and thrill the crowd.

● Rashod Bateman refused to be shut out by Wiggins, leaving him in the dust on a crossing route on one of his several receptions over the middle. He looks natural catching the ball no matter where it’s thrown.

● Jaire Alexander showed off his anticipation on multiple plays and seems to be seamlessly fitting into the Ravens’ secondary. It’s unclear where opposing quarterbacks are going to throw the ball.

● Keaton Mitchell’s speed has been the focus of his return to the field, but his lateral agility is what jumped out at Friday’s practice. He is developing as a runner to make tacklers miss in the hole and Harbaugh talked up his receiving skills after practice as well.

● LaJohntay Wester reeled in a pass with a smooth toe drag but dropped one in traffic later on. He has looked comfortable fielding punts, which will be his main path to a roster spot.

● It was an unusually quiet day for the Ravens’ tight ends. Jackson hit Mark Andrews for his first completion of the day, as is customary, but he and Isaiah Likely didn’t see much action otherwise. Marlon Humphrey broke up one pass intended for Likely, though Nnamdi Madubuike probably had Jackson for a sack in the backfield.

[More Observations from Day 3 of Ravens Training Camp 2025]

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