Las Vegas Raiders: Henry Ruggs showing maturity despite low production
Las Vegas Raiders rookie receiver Henry Ruggs III has not been as productive as many hoped, but he is showing maturity beyond his years with his attitude
When the Las Vegas Raiders selected Henry Ruggs III with the 12th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, many fans expected that he would have a breakout rookie campaign, and set the league alight. The reality has fallen short of that expectation and several factors have held Ruggs back from putting up big numbers.
The first factor is of course the learning curve from college to the NFL that many receivers experience and Ruggs has struggled with that. He admitted recently that he is “not used to operating out of the huddle” and needs to improve his understanding of the play calls from Derek Carr.
The second factor is injury as the rookie has missed two games with different leg injuries and has been banged up in his first season in the big leagues. They have not been major injuries thankfully but in a year where the practice time is limited, every rep counts, and Ruggs has missed his fair share.
The final factor that has contributed to his low production is undoubtedly the lack of offseason minicamps and OTAs due to COVID-19. In a regular offseason, Ruggs would have made plenty of chances to learn and absorb Jon Gruden’s playbook on the field and would have had plenty of reps with Derek Carr. This summer, however, they were relegated to unofficial workouts in the park and just training camp where limited numbers of players could be on the field at once.
Ruggs continues to show maturity as he learns the NFL game
Despite his struggles, Henry Ruggs has been upbeat and positive and has shown maturity far beyond his years. Ruggs said, as quoted by ESPN.com’s Paul Gutierrez:
"“I don’t know how many times I’ve said this — I’m not really a personal stat guy. I don’t care. I mean, when my opportunities come, I make my plays. But in a game like this, there’s not much to celebrate about. We’re not clicking on all cylinders. A personal play, to celebrate? That would be selfish. And I’m not that type of guy.”"
Ruggs’s impact on the Raiders’ offense has been palpable even when he is not making plays and as Jon Gruden says in that same piece, the Raiders are being defended differently when the rookie speedster is on the field. Gruden does need to do a better job of manufacturing touches for Ruggs but he is still making an impact even if it does not reflect on his own boxscore.
What is most encouraging about Ruggs’s statement is that it shows a level of maturity that this team needs at the receiver position. Receivers are often known as divas and Ruggs appears to be the complete opposite of that, but not to the point where he is passive.
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He has shown flashes of incredible talent and an ability to make tough catches but is just missing that final puzzle piece to put it all together and become the great NFL receiver the Raiders believed him to be when they drafted him. Ruggs still has five games this season to show what he is capable of and putting on a show against the New York Jets in Week 13 would be a great place to start.