When Henry Ruggs III was drafted by the Oakland Raiders as the 12th overall pick of the 2020 NFL Draft, it was a dream come true for the Raiders. After all, he’s the guy they had wanted for the past six months.
During a recent interview with The Athletic, Raiders owner Mark Davis had this to say:
“Henry Ruggs was the player I wanted for the last six months. My dad was always trying to replace Cliff with so many different types of guys. … Speed, speed, speed and we really got away from that the last five, six, seven years. We really didn’t have anybody that could run. Nobody could run.
I watched Henry Ruggs and his speed and quickness and his strength were pretty impressive. And then if you see his baseball highlights, my God. He made some nice tackles on interceptions and he’ll block too. He is a complete player. I was just so thrilled that we drafted him. Maybe that’s the piece that we haven’t had that’s Raiders football. You throw it deep the first play and the safety is worried the whole game.”
According to NFL Network’s insider Ian Rapoport, Ruggs’ contract will consist of a guaranteed $16.67 million through four years with the teams option to add a fifth season.
Ruggs will be some much needed speed on the Raiders’ offense, and will no doubt have an impressive rookie season.
Last season, Ruggs recorded an impressive 40 receptions for 746 yards and 7 TDs.