There was great excitement within the Las Vegas Raiders after taking Henry Ruggs III with the 12th overall selection in the 2020 NFL Draft. Ruggs had blazed a 4.27 forty-yard dash time in the pre-draft process, and the feeling was that the Raiders had found their own version of Tyreek Hill. This would give them an offensive piece to use as they attempted to go blow for blow with the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC West. Looking at Ruggs’ first season in the NFL, it’s fair to say this hasn’t happened yet. But just what did Ruggs do in his debut campaign? He’s the latest subject in our Rookie Review series.
By the Numbers
Ruggs was not a focal point of the Raiders’ passing attack as a rookie. I’m betraying no secrets in saying this. In all, he played 13 games in 2020, in which he drew 43 targets. He was fifth on his own team in targets, trailing Darren Waller (146), Nelson Agholor (82), Hunter Renfrow (76), and even Josh Jacobs who saw 45 looks. These four all finished with more receptions than Ruggs too, as he finished with just 26. Ruggs gained 452 yards on these receptions at a more than pleasing 17.4 per reception average.
In Week 1 — Ruggs’ NFL debut — he commanded five targets which he converted into three grabs for 55 yards. This was an encouraging start, and the early signs were there that the Raiders were looking to get him involved as much as possible. The early signs were misleading. Ruggs would have just one more five-look game over the course of the season, in Week 12 against the Falcons. He would also have no more than three catches in a single game, a feat he managed six times in all. He had four games with one or fewer catches, with two games in which he saw multiple targets but failed to register a single reception.
After 55 yards in Week 1, Ruggs had his first career 100-yard game in Week 5. He took 118 yards off the Chiefs’ defense in the Raiders’ upset win in Arrowhead. He also scored his first NFL touchdown. Ruggs would have just two more games with 50 or more yards in the rest of the season. He would find the end zone just one more time. This came on the ridiculously game-losing blitz call by Jets defensive guru Gregg Williams in Week 13. Ruggs would finish the season with nine games in which he failed to eclipse 50-yards.
Ruggs averaged an impressive 17.4 air yards per target in 2020. Yet he failed to command more than 100 air yards in a single game. He had three games in which he commanded at least 92. But two of these came after he had 93 in Week 1. Ruggs was also entrusted with nine rushing attempts, on which he gained 49 yards (5.4 yards per attempt). But on the whole, it looked like the Raiders were genuinely unsure as to how best to utilize him. This, after taking a player so high in the draft, is a worrying sign.
Given this dramatic lack of production, it’s safe to say that Ruggs didn’t make much noise in fantasy terms as a rookie. It’s not only safe to say, but it’s also accurate.
That’s a whole load of nothing right there, folks. Ruggs posted just two WR2 games, in the only two games in which he managed ten or more PPR points. He had nine weeks in which he failed to finish inside the top-60 players at the WR spot. Ruggs managed to finish as the WR16 in Week 5. His game-winning heroics in Week 13 saw him land the WR20 spot. But it is noteworthy that his 46-yard score against the Jets accounted for 13.1% of his total fantasy output for the year.
