At this time last season, we knew that the Raiders hit a home run with their 2019 draft class. Not only were first-round picks Josh Jacobs and Clelin Ferrell starting and performing well, but they were getting fantastic play out of players like Trayvon Mullen, Hunter Renfrow, Max Crosby and Foster Moreau.
While we are only eight games into the 2020 season, this rookie class from the Raiders hasn’t been quite as productive. Injuries have certainly factored into that equation, but they just haven’t got a lot of snaps out of this class yet.
In a recent article by ESPN’s beat writers, they reviewed and recapped every rookie from the 2020 NFL Draft. You can check out all of their recaps on the site, but here are Paul Gutierrez’s thoughts on the team’s first-round picks this season:
“Rd. 1 (12): Henry Ruggs III, WR, Alabama –– The speedster has been slowed by knee and hamstring issues, missing two games, and defenses have blanketed him. Still, his speed is otherworldly and his big-play ability is evident by his 22 yards-per-catch average on his 10 receptions (he also has one TD).
Rd. 1 (19): Damon Arnette, CB, Ohio State — An immediate starter, Arnette reinjured his left thumb in Week 3, had surgery and has spent time on injured reserve, the reserve/COVID-19 list and is again back on IR. The Raiders anticipate him returning soon, as he is a big, physical cornerback and a throwback to Raiders DBs of yore, full of swagger and potential.”
Ruggs and Arnette should both be on the field in Week 10 when the Raiders host the Denver Broncos. But the rest of their rookie class has yet to make a major impact. The team is hoping that wide receiver Bryan Edwards, who returned from a foot injury last week, will be more involved in the offense in upcoming weeks.
The truth of this class is that if the team’s two first-round picks hit, it will be deemed a successful draft for the Raiders. Week 10 will give us the first chance to watch the two first-round picks on the same field since Week 2.
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