The Las Vegas Raiders are looking for an answer to their wide receiver woes. Some say CeeDee Lamb, others say Jerry Jeudy. Lately, the name Henry Ruggs III is being added to the mix. Is he the possible solution?
Throughout social media, Raider Nation is clamoring for the Raiders to give quarterback Derek Carr a playmaker he can throw the ball to. Is Ruggs III the weapon the Raiders need? The short answer is no based on college production.
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While Ruggs III is dynamic, Lamb and Jeudy were superior in college. Both Lamb and Jeudy produced 1000+ yard seasons with double digit touchdowns while Ruggs III peaked in at a respectable 746 yards and seven touchdowns. Granted, he had to share his snaps with Jeudy, but Lamb surpassed Ruggs III in yard per catch (21.4 vs 18.7), and Jeudy was close with an average 15.1 YPC. However, he amassed three more touchdowns than Ruggs III.
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These three receivers have been linked as having similar play to the following players:
Lamb to DeAndre Hopkins, Jeudy to Odell Beckham Jr., and Ruggs III to Tyreek Hill.
Of those three, who would you prefer? Hopkins is arguably a top three receiver in the league and Odell would be as well if his health and QB woes were a non-issue. Hill, who is intriguing because of his speed and physicality, was ranked 13th in touchdowns in 2019, as well at 31st in receiving yards and 36th in receptions. Sorry, but I’ll take or Hopkins over Hill in every scenario.
So why would the Raiders consider Ruggs III? You guessed it, the late Al Davis, who was obsessed with speed, as was evident by many of his early, or premature, draft picks. Jacoby Ford, Darius Heyward-Bey, Taiwan Jones, Terrelle Pryor, the list goes on and on. Not all of Davis’ picks were busts but more often than not, speed did not tell the entire story of who the player was.
Ruggs III can be a dynamic player that can break open plays and engage the fans with the allure of his versatility and jaw dropping 40 speed, but should the Raiders take him to fill the void left by Antonio Brown and Amari Cooper? Nope.
When the 12th pick is announced I would hope that Mike Mayock and Jon Gruden will select Lamb, the all around best receiver. Jeudy, the polished route runner, would look good in Silver and Black too.
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