Las Vegas Raiders select Henry Ruggs with the 12th overall pick
In one of the biggest surprises in the first round of the NFL Draft, the Las Vegas Raiders have selected WR Henry Ruggs with the 12th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
What did the Raiders get with the 12th pick, and why did he go ahead of the draft's other top receivers? Arrowhead Report's Jordan Foote breaks it down:
One word: speed. Henry Ruggs brings rare combine speed and also elite game speed to Jon Gruden's system as the Raiders begin a new era in Vegas. He gets going quickly and can stop on a dime, which is a nightmare for opposing cornerbacks. Derek Carr is on a short leash and should be very thankful the Raiders organization provided him with a game-breaking threat. If Ruggs can develop the rest of his game a bit, he could become one of the better receivers in the NFL one day.
Here's the quick backstory on Henry Ruggs by Arrowhead Report's Tucker Franklin:
A native from Montgomery, Alabama, Henry Ruggs played for the local Alabama Crimson Tide with Jerry Jeudy. At 5-foot-11 and 188 pounds, Ruggs caught 40 passes for 746 yards and seven touchdowns for the Crimson Tide in his final season as he became a big-play threat with his speed. Ruggs clocked a 4.27 40-yard dash but there’s debate if he’s the fastest in the family. His mother, Nataki Ruggs, says she ran a 40 in 4.23 while in high school in Junction City, Kansas.
For more information on Ruggs, here's SI.com's Bill Huber:
With that speed, he’s a threat to score every time. That matters beyond the obvious. Look at the Chiefs with Tyreek Hill. He averaged only 14.8 yards per catch, because defenses were so paranoid about him beating him for 70-yard touchdowns. However, that speed opened up things for everybody else. Ruggs is more than “just” a speed guy, and his brings extra value on special teams. His 42-inch vertical offsets a lack of size and length.
It's another star receiver entering the AFC West, and a speedy weapon for the now-Vegas Raiders. Will Derek Carr or Marcus Mariota be able to maximize Ruggs' incredible speed like Patrick Mahomes maximizes Tyreek Hill? It seems unlikely, but the Chiefs will have some explosive routes to look forward to twice a year.
For more on Ruggs, click here.
