Las Vegas Raiders: Player with most to prove at each offensive position in 2021

Las Vegas Raiders: Player with most to prove at each offensive position in 2021

Wide Receiver: Henry Ruggs III

There were a few candidates for this among the wide receiver group with John Brown trying to fill the shoes of Nelson Agholor and Bryan Edwards needing to show that he is not just a physical marvel, but most of all, the Raiders need Henry Ruggs to live up to this draft position.

Ruggs was the first receiver taken in the 2020 NFL Draft but was outperformed by just about every other receiver selected on Day 1 and 2.

The Raiders staff and players have talked up the impact that Ruggs had on the offense despite his meager numbers but he will need to prove that he is not just a track star running down the field as a decoy. He may never be the type of receiver that reels in 100 catches but he has to prove that he can be a reliable deep threat and the first step in doing so is to stay healthy.

Nelson Agholor took over Ruggs’ role as the primary deep threat but with him, off to New England, there is plenty of opportunities for the second-year player to step up and into that role. A similar season to Agholor’s of around 900 yards and 8 touchdowns would be a great success for Ruggs though breaking the 1,000-yard mark should be his goal.

If Ruggs is unable to step up and show he can be a number one receiver from a stats perspective, then Raider Nation will be looking at the likes of CeeDee Lamb and Justin Jefferson and keep on wondering why they’re not wearing Silver and Black.