While the Las Vegas Raiders continue their winning ways, the team’s 2020 first-round duo isn’t impressing Pro Football Focus much these days.
There’s a lot of positives for the Silver and Black lately, such as their impressive running game and their defense showing improvement. All of this development takes time as most people are aware of, NFL rookies are no exception. In the case of the Raiders, they have two first-round selections that haven’t had as much of an impact as some would like.
Keep in mind there have been several factors that could have affected their rookie seasons. First off, the global COVID-19 pandemic altered how they prepared for their first NFL season. Injuries and the disease itself have taken playing time away from cornerback Damon Arnette. On the other hand, Henry Ruggs III was injured early on and is yet to find his place within the offense.
Despite these early struggles, it’s too early to call either player a bust. Rather, we are pointing out a cause for concern when you consider how good other rookies are faring already. Pro Football Focus seems to agree with this assessment as well. They recently gave Ruggs at 57.6 overall grade and 59.6 to Arnette.
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PFF Points Out That The Raiders’ Rookies Need More Time
Sam Monson of PFF pointed out that Ruggs’ speed is what’s keeping him from getting more targets. Opposing defenses must account for him whenever he’s on the field, hence, so quarterback Derek Carr might shy away if he’s commanding double coverage.
The positive flip side is that this level of attention has allowed the Raiders’ offense to get to another level. Moving forward, at some point, head coach Jon Gruden has to figure out how to get the ball to Ruggs, he can be so much more than a decoy.
In Arnette’s case, Monson has given him a pass. After all, the corner played in just his fourth game this past weekend versus the Denver Broncos. It’s definitely a work in progress, but the fact that Broncos quarterback Drew Lock only looked to him twice bodes well for the Ohio State product.
Monson also highlighted the fact Arnette had two missed tackles which hurt his grade. It will be interesting to revisit these grades after this Sunday’s crucial matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs.
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*Top Photo: Grant Halverson/Getty Images
