Jon Gruden says intelligence, not speed, impressed Raiders the most about Henry Ruggs III
By Adam Spencer
Published:
The Las Vegas Raiders pulled off a bit of a surprise in the 2020 NFL Draft, taking Alabama WR Henry Ruggs III with the No. 12 overall pick.
Many thought fellow Alabama star Jerry Jeudy or Oklahoma’s CeeDee Lamb would be the first receiver off the board, but Ruggs was certainly right up there with that duo, too.
So, why were the Raiders comfortable taking Ruggs so high? Coach Jon Gruden spoke with the Mercury News this week and said the Raiders loved Ruggs’ intelligence as much as they love his physical prowess:
“We were able to really concentrate on Henry Ruggs, from our house, make a specific reel to ask him specific questions,” Gruden said. “We even asked him to memorize formations and asked him to regurgitate it to us, and I don’t think we had a receiver or anybody at any position perform better in terms of football intelligence than Henry Ruggs. A lot of it has to do with Alabama, playing the pro style system. A lot of it really had to do with this guy has the ‘it’ factor. He loves it. He learns it quick. Comes easy to him.
“And we all know he’s fast physically. But when you find out he’s fast mentally, he can handle a lot of stuff. We think we’ve got someone with a chance to be great. You remember Cliff Branch. You remember the speed factor with the Raiders. It’s something we have to get back in our organization and we think Ruggs will be a big part of it.”
How will Ruggs fare as a rookie this season? Gruden seems confident in him already, which is a good sign heading into his first pro campaign.
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
