If the first half is any indication of how the Raiders plan on using Henry Ruugs this season, then he is going to see a ton of touches. Before leaving in the first half due to an ankle injury, Ruggs caught three passes for 55 yards and added another 11 yards on the ground.
When the Raiders take shots down the field, it’s going to be Ruggs that is on the receiving end of those targets. But as we could see from Week 1, the Raiders are going to manufacture touches for Ruggs to keep him involved in the offense.
In a recent article by ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez, he broke down the rookie receiver’s performance in his first NFL game. Take a look at his thoughts on the former Alabama star in his debut:
“Yeah, he is as fast as advertised. The starting wideout flashed his 4.27-second 40-yard speed early and often, especially on his 45-yard catch-and-run to the Panthers’ 1-yard line. Ruggs banged up his left knee on an awkward tackle late in the first half and went to the locker room but returned after halftime.
While there some questions about what type of workload the Raiders would give him as a rookie, it’s pretty clear after one game that he is going to be involved in this offense. There will certainly be games in which he is used more than in others, but expect the Raiders to find ways to get Ruggs the football early and often.
At this pace, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Ruggs totaled 800-900 yards as a rookie this season. If he can reach those numbers, that should make the Raiders a much more explosive offense this season. So far, so good from the No. 12 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
