Henry

Ruggs III

It doesn’t appear that Graziano has an issue with the Raiders taking a wideout -- that need was fairly obvious -- but rather in which wide receiver Las Vegas ended up selecting. Jerry Jeudy and CeeDee Lamb both went off the board shortly after, and most analysts had those wideouts ranked ahead of the speedy Ruggs. “The Raiders always do their own thing, Graziano writes, “and one of their things is taking the fastest wide receiver in the draft. " Still, it’s surprising to see him as the first at the position to come off the board.

Ruggs (5'11"/188) declared for the NFL Draft after recording 40/746/7 as a true junior at Alabama. He operated as the No. 3 target behind NFL prospects Jerry Jeudy and Devonta Smith, which limited his career reception count to just 98 catches. His 13.5 yards per target still ranked as the second-best mark in this year’s class. While known for being a deep threat, Ruggs showed rare burst (1.43-second 10-yard split) and abilities after the catch on underneath targets, particularly on slants and shallow crossers. He nearly burnt down Lucas Oil Stadium when he showed a 99th-percentile Adjusted SPARQ score at the Combine, running the 40-yard dash in 4.27 seconds. Already coming off a highly-efficient season as a 20-year-old, Ruggs should only get better with more in-game reps, profiling as a play-caller’s dream in his first year and a potential WR1 on the Will Fuller/Tyreek Hill spectrum later in his career.

The Raiders, 49ers and Broncos hold the Nos. 12, 13 and 15 picks, respectively. If the Eagles were to swoop in for Ruggs, it’s very possible that they would have to trade up from No. 21 in order to seriously get in on this action. CeeDee Lamb and Jerry Jeudy are widely expected to be the first two wideouts off the board. Ruggs probably won’t have to wait around too long after that. NBC Sports’ Peter King hears that the Chiefs are another team to watch, here, though Kansas City would almost certainly have to trade up to get in position for the Alabama speedster.

This implies that the Eagles will take Ruggs if he falls to them. King added that, “Craziest rumor of the first round: Chiefs want to trade up for Henry Ruggs if he falls into the twenties.” Basically, WR-needy teams wouldn’t be opposed to taking the speedy field-stretching talent if he begins to fall down the board. This seems a bit unlikely considering WRs with this sort of speed usually don’t suffer free falls come draft day. Speed kills, after all. Of course, it’s fun to imagine what a player like Ruggs could provide both the Philadelphia and Kansas City offenses.

Interestingly, Nguyen still gives Ruggs (6'0/190) an “A” grade on separation, but most of that is due to the fact that the former Crimson Tide wideout is just much, much faster than most with a 4.28 time in the 40-yard dash. “He can get harassed by physical cornerbacks, isn’t much of a threat to break tackles, and is a poor blocker,” the analyst writes. Nguyen also dismisses the comparison to Tyreek Hill; noting that Hill has a stocky frame and has “excellent” play strength. The overall report is positive -- he believes Ruggs might have the highest ceiling in this draft -- but it’s definitely something teams will have to keep in mind; assuming they have similar concerns, of course.

Stylistically, it is hard not to see the Ruggs-Hill comparison. As Bowen writes, Ruggs is “a blazer with game-breaking speed to rip off explosive plays at all three levels of the field,” which is a description that fits Hill just the same. That being said, Hill is the absolute peak for a player of that kind of skill set, so it is likely a bit optimistic to project Ruggs to have that kind of success. Something closer to peak Mike Wallace, who was a top-three YAC and deep threat in the league at the time, is a more apt and reasonable expectation for Ruggs.

The Ruggs (5'11/188) to Denver hype is growing, as PFN’s Cole Thompson also projected the speedy wideout as a possible fit for the Broncos. What’s really interesting about Kiper’s projection is Oklahoma WR CeeDee Lamb was still on the board at the time. Throughout the offseason, Lamb and Jerry Jeudy had been considered the consensus top-two draft eligible wide receivers. However Ruggs’ impressive showing at the NFL Scouting Combine where he ran a lightning fast 4.27 40-yard dash has potentially boosted his stock above Lamb. Denver is looking to find a field stretching WR that can open up the field for Courtland Sutton and Noah Fant and there is nobody more perfectly suited to go over the top of defenses than Ruggs.

Denver’s wide receiver depth chart is a wasteland beyond Courtland Sutton. As such, Thompson has pinned Ruggs (5'11/188) as the Broncos’ best bet to solve that issue in the first round. Not only is Ruggs a top receiver period, he is a speed demon who can threaten down the field and with the ball in his hands, which is the perfect complement to Sutton. Ruggs alongside Sutton and tight end Noah Fant could be a terrifying, athletic trio of pass-catchers.

Ruggs (5'11/188) was expected by more than a few analysts to post an excellent 40 time at the NFL Scouting Combine and he did just that, clocking in a 4.27 seconds. He also tested well in the vertical and broad jumps, showing off the athleticism that makes him one of the top offensive prospects in this draft class. But according to Zierlein, Ruggs may need some time to develop at the next level. “He has quick, sure hands to handle off-target throws, but learning to release, separate and catch against physical NFL cornerbacks could require an adjustment period,” Zierlein wrote. “He won’t rack up the targets, but has explosive speed and talent to imprint on games with regularity.” Ruggs is expected to be taken during the first half of Day 1 in next month’s draft.

Ruggs (5'11/188) has seen his value skyrocket since his 4.27 40-yard dash (overall leader), 42 inch vertical jump (second best overall) and 131 inch broad jump (fourth best in WR group) at the NFL Scouting Combine. He was rated as the 20th best prospect according to PFF pre-combine and now has vaulted himself into the first-half of Day 1 conversation. Ruggs seemed to suffer a soft-tissue leg injury at the combine and did not participate in gauntlet drills for precautionary reasons, but he is expected to do so during Alabama’s pro day.