The 2020 class of wide receivers has a ton of talent, especially at the top. Players like Oklahoma’s CeeDee Lamb and Alabama’s Jerry Jeudy are almost universally considered in that top tier. Many are expecting several players to separate themselves from the pack at the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine.
One of the most common occurrences during the NFL draft season is player comparisons. Everyone is looking at these players and trying to envision them in the league and they’ll often do it by comparing them to current or former NFL players. Sometimes it’s the physical build, play-style or individual traits that remind us of a certain player.
In a pre-Combine conference call, Henry Ruggs III was compared to Kansas City Chiefs WR Tyreek Hill by NFL draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah. Jeremiah said that he believes Ruggs can give Lamb and Jeudy a run for the money to become the top-drafted receiver.
“I think he’s going to absolutely fly,” Jeremiah said of Ruggs. “Everybody knows it’s coming. He’s still going to do it. I think the second number will be a 2. I don’t know what the third number will be. But he’s the closest thing to Tyreek Hill that I’ve seen since Tyreek Hill entered the league. And just looked like he’s been on a different speed than everybody else. This kid does the same thing. He’s so sudden off the line of scrimmage. It’s instant death for corners. He’s just by them and it’s over. You can use him on the jet sweep stuff. You can use him on kickoff return. I love watching him as a gunner on punt. Shows just how tough he is…”
Hill, of course, is one of the most dominant receivers in the NFL and a lot of that has to do with his speed. He has an extra gear to create separation that other players, even those considered to be fast, don’t have. Jeremiah and others have seen that same type of speed on tape with Ruggs. At the very least, Ruggs’ size compares to Hill, with an official weigh-in at 5-11 and 188 pounds.
Will Ruggs have a record-breaking showing in the 40-yard dash at this year’s combine? Even Jeremiah is uncertain of that, but he expects him to at least run in the 4.2 range. Bengals WR John Ross currently holds the combine 40-yard dash record with a 4.22 in 2017. Hill didn’t receive an invitation to the combine in 2016 but ran a 4.28 at his pro day.
“Some of the production doesn’t blow you away, but Ruggs only dropped one
ball,” Jeremiah continued. “A lot of times, when you get these speed guys, you get inconsistent hands. This kid’s got great hands and he can fly. Now, he’s not nearly as polished when you’re talking about his teammate Jerry Jeudy as a route runner. I am willing to bet if you went and polled the 32 defensive coordinators in the NFL, gave them the video of the top three receivers, said which of these guys do you not want in your division, I would be willing to bet a lot of money that Henry Ruggs would get the most votes. That’s the guy you do not want to face. That’s why I believe it’s not over who will be the first receiver. It’s not a two-man race; it’s a three-man race.”
We’ll have a better idea of which receiver wins this race to the top after on-field drills occur this Thursday at the combine.
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