Henry Ruggs III, Alabama Crimson Tide. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
The Las Vegas Raiders’ first-round selection is already impressing in training camp
Entering the NFL Draft, the expectation was that the Las Vegas Raiders would target one of the three top wide receivers in the class. Luckily for the Raiders, an early run on quarterbacks and offensive tackles allowed them to have their pick of the litter. To the shock of no one, the Raiders followed former owner Al Davis’ long-standing tradition of taking the fastest guy in the draft. This year, it was Alabama’s Henry Ruggs III.
While Ruggs was tremendous at Tuscaloosa, many projected him to be taken after teammate Jerry Jeudy and Oklahoma’s CeeDee Lamb. But come on, you know head coach Jon Gruden likes to think outside the box!
On Friday, Ruggs proved his worth to Gruden and general manager Mike Mayock by making a leaping one-handed catch during training camp. Seriously, you have to see it to believe it. Words can’t do it justice.
Ruggs looking like a superstar already
Quarterback Derek Carr had to be extremely impressed after seeing the rookie haul in that 50-50 ball with relative ease. That’s something he’s been lacking ever since the Raiders inexplicably traded Amari Cooper to the Dallas Cowboys in 2018. Considering the Raiders are in the same division as the Kansas City Chiefs, the Raiders needed to add a high-impact receiver to match Andy Reid’s explosive offense.
Prior to the start of the regular season, Las Vegas’ offensive coordinator Greg Olson said that Ruggs is going to start in the slot. That’s a wise move by the Raiders coaching staff, considering how well he did with the Crimson Tide and his 4.27 40-yard dash time at the NFL Scouting Combine.
Through his three years at Alabama, Ruggs recorded 98 receptions for 1,716 yards and 24 touchdowns.
Ruggs was the apple of the Raiders’ eye throughout the 2020 draft process, and so far, he’s been rewarding them with exceptional plays like this. The true test is to see how he performs against NFL defenses as a rookie.