What You Need to Know:

-- Ruggs averaged 17.5 yards per catch over his college career.

-- He topped out at 46 receptions and 746 yards in a loaded Alabama receiving corps.

-- Jon Gruden raved about Ruggs’ football IQ in pre-draft evaluations.

-- Only Darren Waller topped 71 targets among Raiders last season.

Raiders Excitement

Ruggs obviously leads with his 4.27 speed. But that’s not the only thing the Raiders like about him.

“I don’t think we had a receiver or anybody at any position perform better in terms of football intelligence than Henry Ruggs,” HC Jon Gruden said in mid-May.

That can only help the 1st-round pick’s chances of getting on the field quickly. Clearly the Raiders want that to happen.

Last year’s team had only Darren Waller exceed 71 targets. Rookie slot Hunter Renfrow led the WRs at 71, with Tyrell Williams next at 64 and no one else reaching 30. Renfrow and Williams each lost 2+ games to injury, and Williams spent nearly all of the season battling plantar fasciitis.

Ruggs’ College Profile

Ruggs produced efficiently when he got the ball at Alabama, averaging 17.5 yards per catch for his career and finding the end zone on an absurd 24.5% of his receptions. The big question is volume.

Ruggs never exceeded 46 catches or 746 yards in a college season. He ranked just 3rd in both categories for last year’s Crimson Tide, and tied for 3rd on the team in TD receptions. That makes him an obvious loser in market share, which has proved a valuable predictor of WR production in the NFL.

Of course, most wideouts face much weaker competition for targets than Ruggs did. Alabama’s receptions leader, Jerry Jeudy, followed him off the board just 5 picks later in Round 1. Devonta Smith, who led the Tide in yards and TDs, looks likely to go in next spring’s 1st round. Jaylen Waddle might also be a 2021 first-rounder.

2020 Situation

We’ll have to see whether Ruggs’ low college market sh…