The first draft selection in the history of the Las Vegas Raiders was Henry Ruggs III from Alabama. The speedster was considered a reach by some, including myself. On second thought, Mike Mayock and Jon Gruden made a smart move.
Ruggs is a Unique Commodity
Ruggs was the most unique receiver in this draft. Not a single player, drafted or not, could match his combination of speed and quickness. CeeDee Lamb and Jerry Jeudy might be better pure receivers, but Ruggs was the best specialist at his position.
This receiver’s TD-to-Reception ratio in college was ridiculous. This is a product of his ability to not only take the top off a defense, but also of the danger that he poses on short-yardage receptions after the catch.
After Jimmy Garoppolo, Derek Carr led the league in fewest targeted yard depth per attempt. This is a product of a Gruden offense centered on the run and quick passes. Ruggs will be a perfect check-down option for Carr. In addition to Hunter Renfrow, who served as a safety-net for Carr in 2019, Ruggs can now serve a similar purpose, but with the added bonus of potentially turning a check-down into a touchdown on any given play.
He Will Discourage Blitzes
Do you know why the Kansas City Chiefs face the fewest blitzes in the league? For one, they have the best QB in the league behind center. But, a second important reason is the number of dangerous and speedy receivers that they possess.
Ruggs will need to be accounted for on every single play. Assigning a linebacker to this receiver is a recipe for disaster. That means that defenses will have to use nickel and dime corners to cover Ruggs. A defensive blitz in this situation would leave the middle of the defense vulnerable. With how quickly Carr can get rid of the ball, this would allow Ruggs to potentially break lose on any given play.
With less frequent blitzes, other slower receivers will have the opportunity to run their routes, and Carr will have the time to get them the ball. This was not often the case last season, which accounts for a great part of Darren Waller’s production as a bail-out for the QB. With Ruggs in the slot, that means that defenses will either single-cover the speedster or assign two defensive backs to him and leave Waller covered by a linebacker. Ruggs opens up the receiving game for everyone.
Unclogging the Box for Josh Jacobs
Jacobs has to be ecstatic for the acquisition of Ruggs. The lower the fear of receivers, the greater the attention defenses pay to running backs. With Ruggs having to be accounted for, Jacobs is less likely to run into stacked boxes.
Without this help, Jacobs had a rookie-of-the-year-worthy season. The Raiders are gambling that ‘reaching’ for Ruggs will help Jacobs improve on that impressive rookie campaign.
The comparison between drafting Ruggs and the Darrius Heyward-Bey bust is superficial and ignorant. Heyward-Bey was drafted to be a Z receiver and featured only that as his potential. Ruggs was drafted to open up the entire Raider offense. He was the perfect choice for the team at this point in time.
