Getty Henry Ruggs of the Las Vegas Raiders.
It may seem trivial, but NFL players like to take note of their Madden NFL ratings. With the game’s release slated for next month, EA Sports has revealed the ratings for all the game’s rookies. For the reveal, former NFL All-Pro Chad Johnson was enlisted to tell the rookie wide receivers what ratings they received. Among the rookies involved was Las Vegas Raiders first-round pick Henry Ruggs, who was given a speed rating of 98.
Johnson told Ruggs that he was second in the game in speed behind Kansas City Chiefs star Tyreek Hill and the Raiders wide receiver said, “that’s just because I haven’t gotten on the field to show it.”
That’s a pretty big statement from the rookie. Ruggs and Hill are going to be sharing a division for years to come so it won’t take long to see who is actually faster. At his Pro Day, before he got drafted, Hill ran a 4.29 40-yard dash. Ruggs ran a 4.27 at the NFL Combine. Now, the 40 time doesn’t necessarily rate who’s as fast during a game. Regardless, both men are extremely fast and will leave a lot of defenders in the dust this season.
Expert #RatingsAdjustor @Ochocinco gave the top Rookie WRs their #Madden21 Ratings 👐
Ruggs Is Highest-Rated Offensive Rookie
While Ruggs thinks he’s worth a 99 rating in speed, he can’t complain too much about his overall rating as he was the highest-rated offensive rookie in the 2020 class. He’s tied with number one overall pick Joe Borrow with a 76 rating. He’s ranked higher than quarterbacks Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Herbert, who were both taken ahead of him in the draft.
Heading into the draft, many experts had Ruggs ranked as the third-best wide receiver in the class behind Jerry Jeudy and CeeDee Lamb. However, the Raiders didn’t see it that way and made him the first selected at the position. Ruggs is known for his elite speed, but he’s a very well-rounded player with a good set of hands. He’s going to fit in really well with the Raiders and could be an impact player immediately.
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Derek Carr Hurting Ruggs’ OROY Chances?
Last year, Raiders first-round pick Josh Jacobs was a finalist for Offensive Rookie of the Year and probably should’ve won. This year, the team will probably put similar expectations on Ruggs, who could be the team’s number one wide receiver. However, Lance Zierlein of NFL.com thinks there’s something holding back Ruggs’ chances:
The slotting of Ruggs at No. 9 on this list is certainly not indicative of what I think of his ability to be an impact talent in the league. He possesses instant, electric speed and can threaten defenses in a variety of ways. However, it’s hard for me to ignore the fact that Derek Carr has had tight ends as his leading receivers for three straight seasons (Darren Waller last year and Jared Cook in the two prior) and has consistently been in the bottom half of the quarterback rankings in yards per completion since entering the league in 2014. I fear Ruggs is like a Bugatti with a driver who refuses to speed behind the wheel, which is why I don’t have him ranked higher here.
What Zierlein failed to mention is that Carr has not had a consistent deep threat in the last three seasons. Yes, he had Amari Cooper for one and a half of those years, but he was widely inconsistent after his first two seasons. Carr has a great arm and hasn’t had a chance to show it off in a while. There’s no doubt Jon Gruden is going to try and utilize Carr’s canon this season. Also, Ruggs thrives on slant routes and so does Carr. The rookie wide receiver is going to get plenty of touches and should put up strong numbers this season.
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