Henry Ruggs had an interesting rookie season with the Raiders. He made the game-winning play against the Saints, drawing a key pass interference call with under two minutes remaining. He scored the go-ahead touchdown against the Jets. And he had a 100-yard game when the Raiders upset the Chiefs in Kansas City.
However, consistency and availability was the biggest problem for Ruggs as he struggled to stay on the field due to injuries. Entering Year 2 of his career, the Raiders need him to be a more reliable and dependable receiver.
But what kind of numbers can we expect from Ruggs in 2021? How much more volume will he see in the passing game?
In a recent article by Jake Rill of Bleacher Report, he predicted the stat leaders for the Raiders in 2021. He believes Ruggs will lead the receivers in yards, totaling 838 yards and seven touchdowns. Here is a snippet of his thoughts on the second-year receiver:
“This offseason, the Raiders lost their leading wide receiver from last season (Nelson Agholor), so they’re going to need some of their young receivers to step up in 2021. And while playmakers such as Bryan Edwards and Hunter Renfrow could help fill the void, Ruggs is the most likely to have a breakout season.
Ruggs should take a big step forward and become a top target for quarterback Derek Carr. And that could mean big things for the Raiders’ offense.”
If Ruggs could approach 800 yards and seven touchdowns, that would be quite a nice jump for the former Alabama receiver. With the rest of the offense funneling through Darren Waller and the run game, 800+ yards should be a good goal for Ruggs.
