The 2020 NFL Draft is drawing closer every day. With the Giants and Jets both currently set to pick in the draft's first 11 selections, we'll be taking an in-depth look at some of the prospects who could soon call New York home.
Here's a look at Alabama wide receiver Henry Ruggs ...
By The Numbers
Height: 5-foot-11
Weight: 188 pounds
40-yard dash: 4.27
Vertical jump: 42.0 inches
2019 stats: 40 rec, 746 yards, 7 TD, 18.7 yards per catch
Prospect Overview (from NFL.com)
Ruggs' speed alone helps both the running and passing games because it forces safeties into more passive positioning. He can work all three levels and his ability to turn slants and crossing routes into big gainers could make him the favorite gift under the tree for a quarterback and offense in need of an explosive weapon. He has quick, sure hands to handle off-target throws, but learning to release, separate and catch against physical NFL cornerbacks could require an adjustment period. He won't rack up the targets, but has explosive speed and talent to imprint on games with regularity.
Rumor Mill
Heading into this year's NFL Combine, ESPN's Rich Cimini reported that Joe Douglas and the Jets' front office "have had their eye on" Ruggs for a while.
In late-March, NFL Network analyst and former NFL personnel staffer Daniel Jeremiah told the New York Post that Ruggs is the closest thing he's seen to Kansas City Chiefs speedster Tyreek Hill -- one of the fastest players currently in the NFL.
Jeremiah also said that he would not be surprised if Ruggs' speed led to his being the first wideout off the board, ahead of Jerry Jeudy and CeeDee Lamb, and that he could see Ruggs as a fit in Gang Green's offense.
"I think you could make a strong case that his speed would really open things up in that (Jets) offense as well."
NFL Comp (according to NFL.com's Lance Zierlein)
Ted Ginn Jr.
This and That
Ruggs' 4.27 40-yard dash time at the 2020 NFL Combine is the third-fastest ever recorded at the event. Cincinnati wideout John Ross holds the current record at 4.22 seconds. Coming out of Robert E. Lee High School in Montgomery, Ala., Ruggs was a five-star recruit and was ranked as the nation's best wide receiver by 247Sports.
Social Moment
Ruggs typically holds up three fingers to celebrate a touchdown, and he does so to honor his friend Rod Scott, who died in a 2016 car accident. Ruggs has said that he would have been in the car with Scott if not for getting sick that day. Check out this video where Ruggs talks about honoring his late friend:
I do it for you bro🏈💉💯 #LL3🙏 pic.twitter.com/atnxeuW3nJ
- HJR III™💎 (@__RUGGS) May 24, 2017
