Scouting Report

Speed kills and that’s basically what you need to know about Henry Ruggs. Ruggs is by far the fastest player in the draft, but he's more than just a fast athlete. He’s an actual receiver. His releases are phenomenal and his speed creates separation. At Alabama he made his money on in-breaking routes and with his run after the catch. Most of the time with smaller receivers, their problem is getting off the press, but Ruggs doesn’t have this issue. He’s great with inside releases and has a nasty three step off the line. There aren’t much problems with Ruggs’ game, if I had to say one it’s that he’s not the shiftiest. While his speed does kill, you never really see him juke defenders out. I also didn’t love how he was used at Alabama. I’d like to see him used a lot more with deep balls and on reverses. I did like that he was used both in the slot and on the outside. Ruggs also has an amazing story that he wrote about, you can see if you look up "Henry Ruggs Players Tribune". Since he’s so good at separating, you don’t really see him make too many contested catches and that’s not how NFL teams will use him. Ruggs’ speed is on an other level, his releases are ridiculous, and he’s amazing after the catch.

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Where He Should Go: In the 20's

Where He Will Go: Top 15

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Draft Grade

Separation: A+

Route Running: B

Releases/Ability to get off Press: B+

Speed: A++

Catch in traffic: D

Yards after the Catch: B+

Hands: A

Versatility: N/A

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No DB is capable of running with Henry Ruggs. There are times where Henry Ruggs is open by three or four yards right off the line. Henry Ruggs isn't necessarily an amazing precision route runner, but he's not sloppy. Like I said early, his speed allows him to gain separation and he's phenomenal with in breaking routes. In the NFL I expect him to utilize a lot more double moves and work more in the slot. His catch in traffic got a low grade because I didn't really see it very often. He's usually so open so he doesn't have to catch the ball in traffic. I don't expect him to be a jump ball guy in the NFL, but he can get up. If you haven't seen his high school basketball highlights, you have to look them up. Ruggs is out there dunking like he's Derrick Jones. I think Ruggs has so much untapped potential. If he can upgrade his juke package, holy cow. I never saw Ruggs drop a pass out of all the games I watched. Ruggs has soft hands and is a reliable target. I couldn't give him a complete grade for versatility because of how limited of a roll he had with Alabama. He did play in both the outside and the slot at Alabama, but Nick Saban could've used him in a ton of more different ways. I'd love to see him end up with a creative offensive coordinator who can use him like the Chiefs use Tyreek Hill. Ruggs still has a long way to go until he gets to Tyreek Hill, but the potential is there.

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Team Fits: Eagles, Vikings, 49ers

Pro Comparison: Mecole Hardman