3 Most important Las Vegas Raiders rookies in 2020

Henry Ruggs III

One of the biggest struggles of the Gruden 2.0 era has been finding a true number one wide receiver. Amari Cooper didn’t seem to be a fit in the offense before being traded to the Cowboys, and then there was the Antonio Brown fiasco. As a result, the Silver and Black have ranked 28th and 24th in points per game the last two seasons, and tight ends have led the team in just about every major statistical category.

This is why the organization spent its first selection in the draft on Henry Ruggs. The rookie will walk in on day one as Las Vegas’ most talented wideout and is projected to take over the aforementioned number one role for the team. While the offense’s success doesn’t fall squarely on his shoulders, the Alabama product’s performance will go a long way towards improving the Raiders’ standing in the points per game category.

As far as justifying Arnette’s importance over Ruggs’, depth at the position was ultimately the deciding factor for me. If for some reason the latter doesn’t pan out or stumbles out of the gate, the offense has veterans Tyrell Williams, Nelson Agholor, and maybe Zay Jones to serve as insurance policies.

Both Williams and Agholor have put together a handful of productive seasons in the past, suggesting that they can be serviceable options in a pinch, and I’m not comfortable saying that about the reserve cornerbacks.