Las Vegas Raiders Rookie Roles: Wide Receiver Henry Ruggs III

The Las Vegas Raiders drafted a number one receiver in Henry Ruggs III out of The University of Alabama. Here’s how the speedster fits in with the Silver and Black.

The Las Vegas Raiders were in desperate need for a number one receiver after the 2019 season, one that saw a ton of drama at the wideout position. Antonio Brown figured to own that position for at least a few years, but we all know how quickly that prospect flamed out, leaving Tyrell Williams to take over that role last season.

So the Raiders went in to the 2020 offseason with the goal of upgrading the wide receiver position, and wasted little time doing so in the first round of the NFL Draft. They were linked to several receivers, including Oklahoma’s CeeDee Lamb and Alabama’s Jerry Jeudy, but instead opted for the fastest player at the combine in Henry Ruggs III.

With the drafting of Ruggs, along with Bryan Edwards from South Carolina, the Raiders have turned this into a position of strength. For Ruggs, he is going to be expected to perform in a big way in 2020, and we dive into what that could look like.

Ruggs is far more than just a straight line speed guy and in this piece we will take a look at his college career at Alabama, why he was chosen by the Raiders, and how he fits in to Jon Gruden’s system.