Related content
Heading into the NFL Draft combine, one of the players who stood to gain the most from four seconds of work was Alabama wide receiver Henry Ruggs. The junior was widely regarded as the fastest player in college football in 2019, and the combine was the perfect stage for Ruggs to quantify that game-breaking speed.
He did that and more by running the 40-yard dash in a blistering time 4.27 seconds, officially earning him the label of the fastest player in the draft.
During Al Davis’ reign as Raiders’ czar, that alone would have made Ruggs a lock to be selected in the first round by the silver and black. It’s not quite that cut and dry these days with coach Jon Gruden and general manager Mike Mayock running the show, but could Ruggs’ insane speed still land him in Las Vegas over “safer” receiver prospects like Oklahoma’s CeeDee Lamb or Alabama teammate Jerry Jeudy?
It’s worth considering, mostly because Ruggs is really just that fast. The next-best 40 run by a receiver at the combine was 4.35 seconds; the difference between Ruggs at No. 1 and the player at No. 2 was the same as the gap between No. 2 and No. 8.
That speed shows up on the field. Ruggs caught 40 passes for 746 yards this season, averaging an explosive 18.7 yards per reception. Those aren’t bad numbers considering he was playing alongside more of a possession receiver in Jeudy.
Alabama used Ruggs to stretch the field, and the Crimson Tide also made a point of getting the ball in his hands in space to give him a chance to accelerate in the open field. On video he is obviously the fastest player on the field at all times, and that speed is a threat on every play; he beats defensive backs deep, he catches slants and pulls away for long gains and he takes screen passes to the house when given the slightest alley:
Ruggs is impossible to catch from behind. He can split defenders and turn the corner effortlessly. On deep balls, he doesn’t just separate — he separates exponentially. If he beats a corner with a double move (which is a strength), he only gets more and more open as the play develops. By the time the ball reaches him, he’s all alone for free points.
That’s the kind of speed that demands constant attention from defenses — special attention. Ruggs needs a safety over the top on every play and special coverages designed to keep him from scoring long touchdowns, and the more complicated defenses get the more likely they are to make mistakes or outright blow coverages elsewhere. Ruggs is fast enough to transform an offense if the coaching is smart enough to utilize him properly.
Of course, speed alone doesn’t make for an effective wide receiver, as countless prospects have proven throughout the years. The finer points of the position are still a work in progress for Ruggs.
While Jeudy is textbook in his route-running and explosive in every movement he makes, Ruggs is still building his arsenal. One thing Ruggs does well is catch the ball with his hands instead of trapping it against his chest, which allows him to receive the ball in stride on crossing patterns and accelerate immediately.
His work across the field is promising, but more because of his speed than due to his route-running savvy. Ruggs gets deeper on in-cuts than most receivers because he gets up the field so quickly, and he varies his tempo as he crosses horizontally. When he turns on the jets suddenly, defensive backs are a step behind and windows open for big gains.
Alabama ran Ruggs across the field on deep in-cuts regularly:
The cuts aren’t sharp and he’s not shaking defenders with his juke moves at the top of the route (things Jeudy does very well), but Ruggs’ sheer acceleration makes him a dangerous intermediate threat on those plays.
Ruggs’ other competition at the top of the draft board, Lamb, is excellent at taking short passes and turning them into big gains, which didn’t appear to be a big part of Ruggs’ game in 2019.
Despite his speed, there just isn’t a lot of wiggle to Ruggs when he has the ball in his hands. If he has enough space to run around a defender and beat him to the corner or an alley to put his foot in the ground and get upfield, he can rack up big yards after the catch. But in situations where his top-end speed wasn’t a factor, Ruggs was surprisingly not that difficult to bring down. He took more direct shots than a small, speedy receiver should:
Lamb can make defenders miss even when they’re squared up on him; Ruggs didn’t show the ability to do that consistently even though he’s faster and more explosive than Lamb. It’s a natural trait that Lamb possesses and Ruggs might not.
Ruggs will also need to improve his work at the line of scrimmage at the NFL level. Due to his small stature (5-foot-11, 187 pounds), opposing defenses will undoubtedly look to jam him at the line of scrimmage and keep him from hitting top speed; Jeudy is ridiculous at beating press coverage via footwork, but Ruggs lacks in that regard.
LSU in particular had success getting physical with Ruggs at the snap and forcing him to fight through contact:
That’s not to say Ruggs lacks physicality. He showed ferocity when fighting for the ball or when breaking free from contact at the top of his routes (as in the last play of that video), but learning how to get off the line quickly will be a priority for Ruggs and his receivers coach at the next level.
There are some really good comparables for Ruggs. Players like Tyreek Hill and Percy Harvin were game-changers due to their explosive speed, and Ruggs has a lot of that in his game. The difference between being a gadget player like Harvin and an All-Pro receiver like Hill will depend on whether Ruggs develops the other aspects of his skill set, including route-running, footwork and attention to detail.
The Raiders will have an interesting decision to make, if as expected they use one of their two first-round picks on a receiver in April’s draft. Jeudy and Lamb have been big-time producers at the college level, while Ruggs is more of a home-run upside play. That being said, Ruggs would complement Las Vegas' existing receiving corps well, as his speed and coverage demands would open up more space for inside receiver Hunter Renfrow and tight end Darren Waller.
Don't be surprised if the Raiders pass up more established receivers in order to swing for the fences with Ruggs.
Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.
Join the Discussion:
Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.
Full comments policy