It should have come as no shock to anyone when the Las Vegas Raiders pick was announced, and it was Alabama wide receiver Henry Ruggs III coming to town.
After all he was rocking an Old Spice robe in his home as he awaited his call to the NFL:
Henry Ruggs III (@__RUGGS) just lampin’ in an @OldSpice bathrobe on Draft night! #NFLDraft #football @Raiders pic.twitter.com/PUj5ZHcI8n
— Rich Eisen Show (@RichEisenShow) April 24, 2020
Ruggs will be great weapon for a team that focused on speed in the 2020 NFL Draft. He can be a difference-maker on the outside with his ability to run crisp routes and create separation. Not that Ruggs needs any separation to create in the second and third levels of a defense.
His ability will cause defensive coordinators to put more attention on him to allow Jason Witten and Hunter Renfrow to work the middle of the field. His game-breaking speed alone will require safeties to be shaded his way at all times. Derek Carr will have an explosive weapon as his disposal, something he sorely needs. Get the ball in Ruggs’ hands early on, and watch him rack up the yards after the catch.
Last year, Carr had his best yards-per-completion output in a season since 2015. That year, another Alabama wide out, Amari Cooper, was catching passes from him. In 2020, that number should only increase with Ruggs.
Ruggs will also help in the return game. In 2019 at Alabama, he returned 12 kicks for a 23.8 yards per attempt average. His skill set can help the offense with favorable field position.
Throughout the predraft process, there was constant debate about who was the best receiver in a deep class. Ruggs leapfrogged Jerry Jeudy and CeeDee Lamb to be the fist one off the board, and Raiders fans will see why soon enough.
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