Las Vegas Raiders: Grading the 2020 Draft class after Year 2
By Nico Di Fede
Las Vegas Raiders: Grading the 2020 Draft class after Year 2
Round 1, Pick 12: Henry Ruggs, WR
When the Raiders were on the clock at pick 12 with a huge need at receiver, surprisingly, the top three receiving prospects were still on the board. Those prospects being Ceedee Lamb, Jerry Jeudy, and Henry Ruggs.
While many fans believed Ruggs may be the guy we end up with pre-draft, that was because it was assumed that the other two would be gone by the time it was the Raider’s turn to pick.
So when Henry Ruggs was the first receiver taken off the board by Las Vegas, many were shocked and a lot of fans were disappointed. That isn’t because Ruggs wasn’t a top-level prospect but both Jeudy and Lamb were almost unanimously considered the superior players, and for sure fit the mold of true #1 options more so than the speedy Ruggs did.
Well, Ruggs had a rather slow start to his career. While he would make splash plays downfield, and definitely made defenses respect his speed, he wasn’t consistently getting open and was not even the Raider’s number one option out wide.
He finished his rookie campaign with 26 receptions, 452 yards, and 2 touchdowns. These numbers dwarfed what Lamb and Jeudy produced for their respective teams.
Then came the 2021 season where Ruggs was looking to show he was worth what the team invested in him, and he finally did show the skills he was drafted for.
The Raiders offense had a hot start to the season and Ruggs played a big role in that. The big-play ability that he flashed his rookie year was still there but he was far more involved and getting open far more often.
After 7 games Ruggs had more yards (469) and the same amount of touchdowns (2) in 2021 than he did in 12 games in 2020.
After the tragic incident that lead to Ruggs being let go from the team, it was obvious how important he was to the offensive’s success; the team lost 5 of their next 6. Ruggs may not have been the number one option, that would be Waller, but his speed made defenses focus on him which opened things up for others.
The team would get it together and make the playoffs as we know, but it does make you wonder if the season would have turned out even better had Ruggs not made the terrible mistake he did. Were there character flaws the front office didn’t notice or care about is the big question when it comes to how you grade this as a pick, as hindsight is 20/20.
- 2020 Performance Grade: C-
- 2021 Performance Grade: B+
- Pick Grade: D