When a team is about to revamp their wide receiver corps, you would think the quarterback should have some say as to who he wants to throw to. Well, knowing that the Raiders were likely going to spend the No. 12 pick on a wide receiver, franchise quarterback Derek Carr started doing his homework.
In a recent interview with Vic Tafur of The Athletic, the Raiders asked Carr pre-draft about the top receivers in the class and he came away impressed by Henry Ruggs during his film study. In fact, Carr said that Ruggs was his top receiver in the class due to his speed, toughness and his love for contact. Here is a snippet of what Carr said about Ruggs to Tafur:
“Ruggs was definitely No. 1. … So I watched every play that all three of them had over the last year, I watched every play. And the thing that always stood out with Ruggs was … there were a few things. He’s always the fastest guy in the field, whether he’s tired or hurt, been knocked off his block a few times in the game. Doesn’t matter. He’s always the most explosive, fastest guy on the field.”
It’s fascinating that Carr seemed to like Ruggs more than CeeDee Lamb or Jerry Jeudy, who are more well-rounded receivers at this point in their careers. Maybe, Carr saw that Ruggs could have a “Tyreek Hill” impact on the game and he would have more overall value to the Raiders’ offense than any other receiver in this class.
One of the biggest narratives surrounding Carr over the last few years is that he doesn’t throw the ball down the field enough. But now with Ruggs and Tyrell Williams on the roster, he finally has the adequate weapons to attack defenses vertically. It will be fascinating to see if Ruggs’ presence makes Carr a more aggressive passer in the 2020 season.
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