Henry Ruggs III was the first wide receiver to be drafted in the 2020 draft believe it or not. And while it raised many eyebrows at the time, a case could be made that Gruden and company simply knew something we didn’t. The pick was made on ESPN and when the camera showed Jon Gruden partying like he got a buy one get one free deal at the hooker and cocaine store on the strip Raider nation rejoiced. But that elation did not transfer over to the regular season.
While Ruggs had some amazing moments,
(like this one)
He only caught a grand total of two touchdowns in thirteen games. Plus he only totaled 452 total yards (!) on the season. Comparing that to Jerry Jeudy’s 856 yards and CeeDee Lamb’s 935 total yards, it looks like the Raiders may have made a major mistake.
But did they really? Ruggs is a specific type of receiver. He needs to get the deep ball on a regular basis and that is something that the Raiders’ Derek Carr has a major problem with. Also, they need to get Ruggs the ball at the line of scrimmage more and let his natural speed and elusiveness do their thing. In 2021 the Raiders need to learn how to use Henry Ruggs the right way, damnit!
I’m not saying this guy is the next Terrell Owens, or even the next Tyreek Hill, but I am saying you can’t blame this kid because the Raiders coaching staff are having a hard time understanding how to tap into his potential.
From a Fantasy Football perspective, I think Ruggs is essentially one of this years late round lottery tickets. He could pay Apple like dividends to owners who go and get him in the double digit rounds, or he could be a waste of a pick. It all depends on how the Raiders use their young weapon.