Henry Ruggs is about to officially become a Raider.
The speedy wide receiver became the first player drafted by the Las Vegas Raiders when the Silver and Black selected him with the No. 12 overall pick back in April. With the season close to starting, Ruggs and the Raiders have agreed to a four-year contract, a source confirmed to NBC Sports California's Scott Bair.
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Ruggs will be an integral part of the Raiders' 2020 season and their long-term future as coach Jon Gruden and general manager Mike Mayock look to inject some NOS into what was a mundane and lifeless offense in 2019. Gruden has long envied the number of weapons his friend Andy Reid has to work with in Kansas City, so it made sense that Gruden would select Ruggs, who ran a 4.27 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine, to give the Raiders someone with Tyreek Hill-type speed.
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Ruggs was the first member of a loaded receiver class taken in April. The Raiders elected to draft a skill you can't teach, rather than selecting a pristine route-runner in Jerry Jeudy or a YAC king in CeeDee Lamb. In Ruggs, Gruden has give quarterback Derek Carr not only a receiver who can take the top off a defense, but a player who can take a 6-yard slant and turn it into a 60-yard gain. Ruggs is the type of explosive playmaker the Raiders lacked last season after Antonio Brown strapped himself to a rocketship and went into outer space. Having a player with game-changing speed will force the defense to account for him on every play and should open up things for tight end Darren Waller and slot receiver Hunter Renfrow.
The addition of Ruggs and third-round receiver Bryan Edwards gives the Raiders a dynamic duo, which should make their passing attack much more potent than the one they trotted out in 2019. An improved passing attack also should give running back Josh Jacobs more room to operate.
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After Ruggs, the Raiders still need to sign the rest of their draft class. With training camp expected to begin in a week, the Silver and Black are expected to move quickly to lock down the rest of their rookie class, with Damon Arnette, Edwards, Tanner Muse, Lynn Bowden, John Simpson and Amik Robertson all likely to sign by the end of the week.
The Raiders spent the offseason retooling their roster, and now have locked in the biggest offensive addition they made.