With the No. 12 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, the Raiders had their choice of any receiver in the class. On the board were two of the most complete receivers to come out of college in recent memory in CeeDee Lamb and Jerry Jeudy, but the Raiders decided to go elsewhere.
While Lamb and Jeudy might be better overall players (at this moment), Henry Ruggs III has elite speed (4.27 40-yard dash). According to MockDraftable, only nine other receivers since 1999 have run a sub-4.30 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine. Of those nine receivers, only three are currently on NFL rosters (John Ross, Breshad Perriman, Marquise Goodwin).
Ruggs’ speed is simply rare. Players with his quickness and receiving ability don’t come around very often and this was Mike Mayock and Jon Gruden’s chance to get their version of “Tyreek Hill.”
But how will Ruggs’ speed translate into receiving production? In a recent article by Cynthia Frelund of NFL.com, she believes Ruggs will be the second-most productive receiver in his draft class, only behind CeeDee Lamb. Take a look at her thoughts on Ruggs as a prospect and his fit with the Raiders below:
Ruggs lined up wide in 80 percent of his Alabama snaps and last season earned 10.5 yards after the catch per reception (third-most in the SEC among those with 30-plus targets, per PFF). Ruggs is a riskier (fantasy) pick, because while his physical attributes (he’s fast, if you haven’t heard) project for a lot of opportunity and have driven success in past offenses run by Raiders coach Jon Gruden, other key high-value metrics, like route-running aptitude (computer vision shows he hasn’t run the full route tree as often or as precisely as other receivers in this class), are unknown and therefore introduce fantasy risk.
The Raiders will likely move Ruggs all over the field to exploit certain matchups, but it does make sense for him to start outside with Hunter Renfrow and Darren Waller working in the middle of the field.
If Ruggs can connect on a big play or two each week, he should have no problem becoming one of the most productive receivers in this class and could easily surpass 800 yards as a rookie. Expect the former Alabama receiver to start as the “Z” receiver opposite of Tyrell Williams in Week 1.
[vertical-gallery id=69749]
[lawrence-newsletter]