Newly drafted wide receiver Henry Ruggs III reminds Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis of another Raider legend that's known for his speed. After showing the world his relentless speed in his collegiate career as well as in the 2020 NFL Combine, the 65-year old owner is getting flashbacks of three-time Super Bowl Champion and late friend, Cliff Branch.
“Henry Ruggs was the player I wanted for the last six months,” Davis told Vic Tafur of The Athletic (via nbcsports.com). “My dad was always trying to replace Cliff with so many different types of guys. . . . Speed, speed, speed, and we really got away from that the last five, six, seven years. We really didn’t have anybody that could run. Nobody could run.”
All these Branch comparisons should boost the confidence of the young NFL prospect given that Branch had himself quite the legendary career in his time in the league. Branch won the Super Bowl three times in his time with the Raiders, selected to the Pro Bowl four times and tallied 501 catches for 8,685 yards and 67 touchdowns.
Hopefully, for the Raiders, Ruggs matches up to the owners' expectations.
“I watched Henry Ruggs and his speed and quickness and his strength were pretty impressive. And then if you see his baseball highlights, my God. He made some nice tackles on interceptions, and he’ll block, too. He is a complete player. I was just so thrilled that we drafted him. Maybe that’s the piece that we haven’t had that’s Raiders football. You throw it deep the first play and the safety is worried the whole game.”
Ruggs ran an impressive 4.27 at the 40-yard dash event in the combine, which ranked as the fourth fastest ever since electronic timing was introduced in 1999. He was then picked up by the Raiders as their 12th overall pick, making him the first wide receiver prospect to be snagged in this year's draft class. Ruggs and the Raiders just agreed to a four-year $16.67 million contract, with a fifth-year team option.
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