Las Vegas Raiders 2020 NFL Draft prospect profile: Henry Ruggs III

Resume and Accolades

Henry Ruggs III does not have the full resume that a three-year starter like CeeDee Lamb does, or even like a more traditional wide receiver like his teammate Jerry Jeudy, but numbers do not tell the full story. Ruggs was primarily used as the “Z” receiver at Alabama and due to his track speed was used primarily as a deep threat.

In two years as a starter, Ruggs recorded 86 catches for 1,487 and 18 touchdowns. Even as a bit-part player as a freshman in 2017, Ruggs recorded an incredible six touchdowns on just 12 receptions. He is a game-breaking threat that has the speed to take the top off any defense. Previous reports have compared Ruggs to Kansas City Chiefs WR Tyreek Hill who can bend and warp defenses simply by being on the field.

From purely a physical perspective the comparisons are warranted. Ruggs is three inches taller and just a bit heavier than Hill but both ran 4.2 40s with Ruggs besting Hill by .02 seconds. The Alabama wideout was considerably more productive than Hill in college and has none of the character or off the field concerns that lead to many teams taking Hill off their draft boards completely.

The list of the individual accolades for Ruggs is nonexistent but he has been a key member of a national championship team and is a pure athlete in every sense of the word. In addition to his 40 time, Ruggs had the fourth best broad jump at the combine at 10’11” and the third best vertical jump at 42 inches. His performance was the talk of the combine and had offensive minds all around the league daydreaming about him streaking past flat-footed defensive backs.

The primary appeal of a player like Ruggs is not what he has done so far in his career but what he could bring to the table in a pro offense. In this era of wide-open offensive football and the proliferation of spread offenses, a player with the world-class speed of Ruggs is a mouth watering option for the Raiders.