Subscribe
Follow Us
The Las Vegas Raiders were finally able to address their issues with firepower by taking Alabama wide receiver Henry Ruggs with the 12th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. In doing so, they effectively made him the first wideout to go off the board in what was one of the receiver deepest classes in recent history.
There has been plenty of speculation regarding which of the “Big 3” wideouts would be taken first between Ruggs, Oklahoma wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, and his former teammate in Jerry Jeudy. General manager Mike Mayock admits that his speed helped set him apart from the rest.
Via Moving the Chains podcast:
“At the end of the day, Jon [Gruden] felt strongly—and I agreed with him—that we needed a different element, especially in our division,” Mayock said on Movin’ the Chains. “When you’re playing Kansas City twice a year—and you saw what Denver did, what the Chargers did—when you’re in our division, speed rules. The whole league is chasing the Kansas City Chiefs right now, and we just felt like getting the guy who runs 4.25 [in the 40-yard dash] changes us.”
It may be a new era for the franchise in Las Vegas, however, it seems their infatuation with blazing speed remains the same.
Ruggs turned heads by running the fast 40-yard dash at the Scouting Combine with a 4.27. Although the restrictions placed in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic limited players from upping their draft stock, his performance would clearly leave a strong impression on the Raiders
The Kansas City Chiefs has taken the league by storm with the abundance of speed that they have on offense and it has led to them becoming the reigning Super Bowl champions. Mayock's comments indicate that the Raiders may be looking to fight fire with fire by shoring up some explosive players of their own.
Of course, it remains to be seen if their vision comes to fruition in the 2020 NFL season.
