Las Vegas Raiders: Henry Ruggs III narrowing gap with 2020 first-round WRs
By Nico Di Fede
Henry Ruggs III is blossoming into a star for the Las Vegas Raiders, narrowing the gap between him and the rest of the 2020 WRs.
While Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs may have had a rather underwhelming rookie campaign, the second-year player out of Alabama has shown promise through the first quarter of this season. Already, the speedy Ruggs has more than half the amount of receptions and yards than he accumulated over the entirety of the 2020 season.
Ruggs has shown his ability to stretch the field which is what he was drafted for, with a 20+ yard reception in each game this season. He has also shown the ability to go up and get it in traffic despite not being the biggest receiver.
But while Ruggs is clearly improving and becoming a play-maker within the Raiders offense, how does he stack up to fellow first-round receivers thus far?
How does the Raiders star stack up?
The second receiver taken in the 2020 draft was Jerry Jeudy, selected by biter rival the Denver Broncos. Jeudy finished his rookie year with 52 receptions for 856 yards and three touchdowns. Two picks later, the Dallas Cowboys selected CeeDee Lamb, the Oklahoma product. Lamb had an even better season than Jeudy, finishing with 74 receptions, 935 yards, and five touchdowns.
Both receivers had superior rookie campaigns to Ruggs, but Jeudy is now on injured reserve with an ankle sprain, and Lamb is neck and neck with Ruggs in terms of production in 2021.
Jalen Reagor out of TCU was next off the board. Reagor has a statistically similar season to Ruggs, with more receptions (31) but fewer yards (396). The two are similar in size but Ruggs was universally hailed as the superior prospect coming out of the draft.
Picked right after Reagor was Justin Jefferson who had by far the best season out of any rookie receiver last year. In fact, he was one of the best receivers in football, period.
This season he continues to shine, currently sitting at eighth in receiving yards with 338 and tied at 10th in receptions to go along with 3 touchdowns.
The last receiver taken in the first round of the 2020 draft was Brandon Aiyuk out of Arizona State. Aiyuk far outplayed Ruggs in his rookie campaign but has started off the 2021 season slow, with only six receptions for 58 yards and a touchdown while starting 3 out of 4 games.
In Conclusion
CeeDee Lamb and Justin Jefferson are the only two you can confidently say seem like better picks so far (and I know it is early), at the same time, Jon Gruden was clearly looking for a specific type of receiver, somebody to take the top off of the defense. Given that, it is too early to say the front office should have drafted either Jefferson or Lamb, who may be better No. 1 options, as Ruggs has shown his speed opens up the offense for the other weapons the Raiders possess.
In some cases having a receiver that demands targets can hinter a quarterback. Derek Carr has always been a guy that spreads it around and outside of his tight-ends, never really forced-fed particular receivers. Even in 2016 both Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree were both 1A and 1B in terms of being the No. 1 receiver.
Despite being worried about the pick post the 2020 season, Ruggs has shown me and Raider fans everywhere this year that not only is he capable of doing what he was drafted for, but can do it in clutch situations.
If he continues to trend upwards and consistently produce, nobody will be looking back at the pick as a miss regardless of how good Lamb or Jefferson are, not because they may not be better but because every scheme is different, and therefore every fit is different.