Revisiting the nightmare that was the Las Vegas Raiders 2020 NFL Draft
In a draft that featured six receivers selected in the first round, the Raiders took the first one with Alabama’s Henry Ruggs. Blessed with unreal speed, he clocked a 4.27 at the NFL Combine, Ruggs was expected to instantly fill the void left by Antonio Brown. After all, Gruden had much of the playbook designed for “AB”. Ruggs gave them the ability to unleash these plays.
Despite joining the team with lots of hype, Ruggs had a very quiet rookie season. With just 452 yards and two touchdowns across thirteen games, many were disappointed with the selection. However, in 2021, Ruggs had clearly come into his own. When he wasn’t breaking the game open with his speed he was threatening defenses over the middle of the field. Winning in a variety of ways, he was well on his way to justifying his first-round status.
Of course, the story ends there. As the Raiders were in the midst of a bye week preparing to face the New York Giants, Ruggs was involved in a fatal car accident. Driving intoxicated at 156 miles per hour, his vehicle struck another and left a young woman and her dog dead. Released by the Raiders later that night, his NFL career was over in the blink of an eye.
Due to the circumstances surrounding Ruggs, his selection is a challenging one to grade. On one hand, he was well on his way to becoming the wide receiver the Raiders hoped he could be. On the other, he is no longer in the league while other receivers such as Ceedee Lamb and Justin Jefferson get selected to Pro Bowls. An unfortunate situation that no one could have foreseen.
GRADE: N/A