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Speed guys don’t always have success in the NFL but Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs will try to change that narrative. He was the first wide receiver taken in the 2020 NFL Draft over the likes of Jerry Jeudy and CeeDee Lamb. He can outrun all of them but it remains to be seen if he will have as much success as a receiver.
Either way, Ruggs is an explosive playmaker and could find a lot of success in the NFL. The Raiders are a team that was known for speed for decades. They went away from bringing in fast guys for a few years but the addition of Ruggs feels like an old school Raiders move. Plus, Ruggs may already be the fastest player in the NFL.
Henry Ruggs’ Speed & 40-Yard Dash Time
One of the most hyped moments at the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine was Ruggs’ 40-yard dash. Everybody knew he was fast but they were eager to just see how fast he could run. He was hoping to break the 4.22 40-yard dash record recorded by John Ross. While he didn’t get there, he did run a 4.27 40-yard dash, which was faster than any other rookie this year.
Despite that fact, Ruggs wasn’t too stoked on his time.
“I actually was a little disappointed,” Ruggs said on SiriusXM NFL Radio back in April, via Pro Football Talk. “Just a lot of technical things I did during the run … But I’m still glad to be known as one of the fastest ever.”
Ruggs explained where he thought he went wrong.
“After the re-start, I was thinking a lot and didn’t really come out of my start like I wanted to, didn’t really come out fluid, and didn’t really push on my first two steps,” Ruggs said. “Then, running with my hands closed kind of tensed me up so I couldn’t really open up like I wanted to.”
Not many would complain about a 4.27 time but Ruggs is as competitive as they come. The fastest time he’s ever recorded was a 4.25 when he was still at Alamba. Even then, he still thought he could do better, according to Saturday Down South.
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How Fast Is Henry Ruggs Compared to Other Speedy WRs?
While Ruggs isn’t content with his performance at the NFL Combine, that doesn’t mean he’s not among the fastest players in the NFL. Kansas City Chiefs speed demon Tyreek Hill ran a low of 4.28 at his pro day when he was coming into the NFL. However, he’s almost universally considered the fastest player in the NFL. John Ross is still around but he’s injured often. He’d probably beat both Ruggs and Hill in a foot race but football speed is different.
Without a lot of professional game tape yet, it’s hard to say where Ruggs ranks amongst the NFL’s fastest. In the Madden ratings, they have him ranked as the second-fastest player in the NFL behind Hill. It’s hard to argue that he’s not one of the two fastest players around. Right now, Hill might actually be the only player faster than him. There’s also Raiders teammate Rico Gafford, who apparently ran an unofficial time of 4.23 in the past. Regardless, Ruggs’ speed is elite and he might be considered the fastest player in the NFL once he sees more time on the field.
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