Did the Las Vegas Raiders get it right on Day 1 of the 2020 NFL Draft?

Examining the Picks

The organization must continue to build the momentum this weekend and so far they’ve been surprising to say the least after picking Alabama speedster wide receiver Henry Ruggs III and physical Ohio State cornerback Damon Arnette. With the 12th overall selection, Mayock and Gruden had their pick of the litter at wide receiver. Many thought the decision would be between Oklahoma’s CeeDee Lamb and Alabama’s Jerry Jeudy.

Henry Ruggs III

However, Al Davis’ spirit is clearly still present in the Raiders’ headquarters as the organization opted for Ruggs and his 4.27-second 40-yard dash time.

The speed demon fills a big need for Las Vegas as the team desperately needed a wide receiver. Last season, Tyrell Williams led the position group in receiving yards and touchdowns with 651 and six, while Hunter Renfrow hauled in the most receptions with 49.

Those marks ranked 50th, 31st, and 48th respectively among all wideouts in the league.

Ruggs will definitely help improve the numbers above as not only can he stretch the field vertically, but he also excels in the intermediate passing game. In 2019, the Alabama product earned a 91.8 Pro Football Focus grade on targets 10 to 19 yards past the line of scrimmage. That will complement Derek Carr‘s skill set nicely as the quarterback earned the third-highest PFF grade on those throws a year ago.

Also, Ruggs scored 80-yard touchdowns and reached over 20 mph after the catch on a couple of short routes last season.

Damon Arnette

While it was less surprising than the first selection, it was still a bit of a shock to see the Raiders take Damon Arnette with the 19th overall pick. NFL Network, Pro Football Focus, and The Draft Network all had him slated as a day-two prospect, and TCU’s Jeff Gladney and LSU’s Kristian Fulton were still on the board.

While those sites graded the latter two higher than Arnette, the Raiders might be onto something as Gladney barely snuck into the first round, going 31st overall to the MInnesota Vikings, and Fulton is still available.

Much like Ruggs, the Ohio State product fills a gigantic need for the Silver and Black. After the Eli Apple deal fell through last month, either Isaiah Johnson or Keisean Nixon were slated to be the second starting cornerback.

Johnson and Nixon, who are entering their sophomore years, have played a combined 52 defensive snaps, so some training camp competition was much-needed at the position.

Given the lack of experience at the position group, Arnette could certainly start week one for Las Vegas. I think he can be very good in zone coverage, and he excelled in Columbus last season, allowing a completion percentage of 44.6 and the lowest passer rating of the draft class at 60.6.

My biggest concern with the former Buckeye is he didn’t test well at the combine, running a 4.56-second 40-yard dash and cornerback is typically a position where athletic testing has a direct correlation to success at the next level.