Before the 2020 NFL Draft got underway, it was expected that the Las Vegas Raiders would select a playmaker early in the first round. Right on cue, the Raiders decided to select Henry Ruggs III out of Alabama with the No. 12 pick in the NFL Draft.
When Las Vegas was on the clock with the No. 12 pick, they had a choice of Ruggs, Jerry Jeudy, or CeeDee Lamb. Instead of taking either Jeudy or Lamb, the Raiders elected to go with the speedster in Ruggs — a move that would've made Al Davis grin ear-to-ear.
Upon his arrival in Las Vegas, Ruggs should instantly become a reliable target for Derek Carr in the passing game. In light of that, here are three bold predictions for Ruggs in his rookie season with the Raiders.
60 receptions
During his time at Alabama, Ruggs was never considered as the No. 1 wide receiver in the offense. Just this past season, Ruggs had to share the field with Jeudy, Devonta Smith, and Jaylen Waddle.
Due to sharing targets with other talented receivers in college, Ruggs never managed to record more than 50 receptions in a single season. As a matter of fact, Ruggs' 46 receptions for Alabama in 2018 were the most he had collegiately.
Now, with the Raiders, Ruggs should become the No. 1 option in the team's aerial attack. In that case, it's more than possible that Ruggs finally eclipses 50 receptions and actually finishes with 60 catches in 2020.
20 yards per reception
While Ruggs was the fastest receiver in this year's draft class, he's more than just a deep threat in an offense. However, his uncanny speed is exactly why Jon Gruden wanted Ruggs in his offense moving forward.
There's no doubt that Carr isn't a quarterback that tends to throw the ball down the field. With that being said, Gruden is going to make sure that Carr develops a trait of pushing the down the field more with Ruggs in the offense. All in all, the Raiders selected Ruggs to be a player of a similar mold as Tyreek Hill
Given that, Ruggs is going to have a chance to make plenty of chunk plays in Las Vegas' offense. After averaging 17.5 yards per reception at Alabama, Ruggs will improve to 20 yards per reception in his rookie campaign.
10 receiving touchdowns
Before Ruggs was drafted by the Raiders, Las Vegas already had a few weapons in the offense. Those weapons include Darren Waller, Tyrell Williams, Josh Jacobs, and Hunter Renfrow.
Not to mention, the Raiders added Jason Witten this offseason to give them a viable No. 2 tight end in the offense. All that being said, the other players involved in the offense shouldn't prevent Ruggs from doing what he does best — scoring touchdowns.
While at Alabama, Ruggs was extremely efficient in finding the end zone, scoring 24 touchdowns on 98 career receptions. Seeing that he's going to have a prominent role in Gruden's offense, Ruggs could very well snag 10 touchdowns next season.
Follow Us
Subscribe