A big name for Philadelphia Eagles fans in 2020 NFL Draft circles is former Alabama wide receiver Henry Ruggs III. Ruggs is a speed demon, who is arguably the fastest player in college football. He is one of seven wide receiver options that make sense for the Eagles in the 2020 NFL Draft, and the arguably the best option.
Ruggs III ended his collegiate career with 98 receptions for 1,716 yards and 24 touchdowns. He is regarded by many as a first-round wide receiver and compares to the Kansas City Chiefs’ star wideout, Tyreek Hill.
Here is a scouting report and breakdown of Ruggs III strengths and weaknesses:
Strengths: Fast is an understatement. He has a rare gear that not many players have. If he isn’t as fast as Hill on the field, he is close. If he has a free release off of the snap, watch out. He demands attention for a defensive game plan and will always make teams respect the deep ball to him.
Ruggs runs great routes and snaps his head around for the ball quickly. He can turn a slant into a big touchdown like he did against South Carolina or a bubble screen into a 75-yard touchdown like he did against New Mexico State. He has great hands and catches the ball naturally.
Surprisingly, for a guy his size, he is a solid blocker. He had a block in the red zone against Auburn that helped secure a touchdown and it was exactly what you want to see from a wide receiver. He gives effort in the run game and that is a big plus.
Ruggs makes everything he does look so easy. He ran a double move against Southern Mississippi, burned the defender badly, but the ball was slightly underthrown. Ruggs made the adjustment on the ball, caught it easily, and then accelerated like it was nothing to get to the end zone. He gets compared to Hill for plays like this. He is an elite game-breaker like Hill and is a guy you want to get the ball to. His career 17.5 yards per catch is a really good number and at a bare minimum, he will be an elite deep threat in the NFL.
Weaknesses: Ruggs’ LSU game tape was extremely concerning. The Tigers pressed him almost the entire game. He had 3 catches for 68 yards, but 2 of those catches were when he wasn’t pressed. The one that he did catch when he was pressed was a long play and gave him time to get away from the press and get open. He did not catch any passes from actually beating the press off of the snap. He will need to show in the NFL he can be physical enough to get off of the press and make plays, or he may need to be more of a slot guy that you need to generate touches for or hope he burns the defense deep.
He was extremely inconsistent on film, disappearing a lot during games. His stats are also very underwhelming for a “top WR” prospect (40 receptions for 746 yards and 7 touchdowns in 2019). Some will say it was because Alabama has stud wide receivers on the field with him, but the same argument could be made for the other receivers at Bama, but they do not need it because they still balled out.
Ruggs gets tackled easily if the defender gets their hands on him. Luckily for him, he is usually able to outrun the would-be tacklers, but if they do get a hold of him, 9 times out of 10 he is going down.
Overall Impression: Ruggs has a very high floor because of his elite deep threat ability. Even if you get the worst from Ruggs, he is a guy that can easily score a 50-yard touchdown just because of his speed and receiving ability. He may never be an elite wide receiver, but he will always be an elite weapon. Questions about his ability to get open and work off of press coverage will be big early in his career. At his best, he can be Hill, but at his worst, he can be a healthier Will Fuller. I think a team would be okay with either.
Grade: 1st round (Picks 12-20)
Fit with the Eagles: Not to state the obvious, but the Eagles need speed and Ruggs would obviously give them that. DeSean Jackson will be back in 2020, but adding a dynamic playmaker like Ruggs to the equation will only equal good things for the Eagles. Doug Pederson should have no trouble watching the film on his former team and getting Ruggs involved like the Chiefs do for Hill. If the Eagles truly want him, they may need to move up for him. If they move up for him, they fully expect him to reach his ceiling and be their Hill. However, he will not give the Eagles the elite No. 1 wide receiver they are still searching for. Ruggs isn’t going to catch 100+ passes a season, so Eagles fans should temper their expectations. Regardless, Ruggs would be fun to watch in Philadelphia and Carson Wentz would be able to air it out to him like he did in Week 1 of the 2019 season to Jackson.