Alabama Football: Henry Ruggs III might be 2020 NFL Draft’s WR1

The 2020 NFL Draft is less than a month away, and Alabama football’s Henry Ruggs III is looking to make a name for himself as the top receiver.

Alabama had the best receiving corps in college football history last season, and half of their top four receivers are looking to be drafted. The first receiver off the board in the 2020 NFL Draft will likely come from Alabama, but it might not be who everyone is expecting it to be. Don’t be surprised if Henry Ruggs III hears his name called before any other receiver.

We’ve all heard of Jerry Jeudy’s agility and smoothness with his routes, but Ruggs has elite traits as well. With Jeudy, CeeDee Lamb and Ruggs all having elite traits at the receiver position, the decision will most likely be made due to scheme fit. Lamb has an aggressive nature that will work well in the red zone. Jeudy has a smoothness that will work well against man coverage. Ruggs has elite speed that will work for an offense looking to take the top off of the defense.

Besides speed, what traits does Ruggs have, and how will they translate to the next level?

Strengths

When we talk about speed, we mean elite speed. Ruggs will walk onto almost every NFL field and be the fastest man out there. WE were genuinely disappointed when he didn’t break the NFL Combine 40-yard dash record.

However, he’s not a one-trick pony. His hands are next-level. He also has the ability to contort his body in the air, giving him a monster catch radius.

Off the field, he also has an alpha-dog mentality in terms of leadership. He’s going to be the voice in the receiver room, which adds to his stock price.

Weaknesses

Ruggs has few weaknesses in terms of skill that are within his control. He’s not the biggest guy, but he would lose speed if he bulked up. He also isn’t as polished of a route-runner as Jeudy, but no one is. If you want route-running, draft Jeudy.

Ruggs also lacked production this year, but you have to remember all the skill players Alabama had. The team literally played rock-paper-scissors to see who was going to get the home-run routes. He also scored a touchdown on his first five catches as a freshman, so the ability to produce is there.

What Ruggs brings to the table also won’t show up in the stat sheet. Just placing him on the field makes safeties take two steps back to avoid getting beat with the deep ball, opening up all the underneath routes for his teammates.

Draft expectations

Someone might take a receiver in the top ten, but it’s looking more and more likely that the run starts at either the Jets at 11 or the Raiders at 12. New York would probably prefer Jeudy or Lamb, but they also have other needs and might avoid the receiver position until later rounds.

The Raiders at 12 seems to be the ceiling for Ruggs, but that fit makes a ton of sense. Gruden loves strong leaders from top-tier programs, and his speed would be perfect for that offense.

If the Raiders pass on him, he could land with San Francisco at 13 or possibly Denver at 15. Dallas’s biggest need is not a receiver, but it wouldn’t shock me if they went BPA. The farthest I could see him falling would be the Eagles at 21. That would be disappointing, but the depth of the receiver class is going to leave a lot of teams wanting to address the need in the second or third round.

So, will HRIII be the first receiver taken in the 2020 NFL Draft? It wouldn’t shock me. I personally have Jeudy graded as a better prospect, but the fit will make all the difference.

Projection: Mid-first round (No.12-21)