The Las Vegas Raiders came into the first round of the draft with the 12th and 19th picks. With the 12th pick, the Raiders passed on Jerry Jeudy and CeeDee Lamb and took Henry Ruggs III. At 19, Las Vegas took Damon Arnette.
Henry Ruggs III Wide Receiver
Its clear the Raiders had to be blown away by Ruggs 4.27 forty time and 42-inch vertical leap. Ruggs caught 40 passes for 746 yards last season; he finished his career with averaging 17.5 yards per catch. Ruggs had two receptions and one rush for 70-plus yards last season. The former Alabama receiver is outstanding after the catch. So the big-play ability the Raiders is looking for is there.
With his speed, he can explode off the line of scrimmage and get open on underneath routes as well as deep routes. For as fast as Ruggs is, he can change directions to get in and out of his breaks well.
Ruggs is more of a complementary receiver as of right now, sometimes he allows the ball to get his chest, but he can catch. Ruggs should be an immediate deep threat from the start and could develop to be more with his skill set. Only time will tell if the Raiders made the right move taking Ruggs over Jeudy or Lamb.
Damon Arnette Cornerback
The Damon Arnette pick was a bit of a reach, but the Raiders had to see something in his game they liked. Last season with Ohio State, Arnette was a dependable outside corner. Ohio State ran a press scheme, where they mixed cover one man and cover three concepts. He is a willing tackler and only allowed one touchdown last season.
Arnette has talent; he needs to mature more; he is a physical corner. At times overly physical, which led to passing interference penalties and holding calls.
Arnette has some maturing to do, and he is not that fast. He is 5-11 195 pounds, not your typical outside corner size in the NFL. He may fit in at the slot; we will see what the Raiders will do with him. Arnette is competitive and won’t back down, so that is a good thing. It will be another wait and see how it turns out for the Raiders.
