Silver Minings: Henry Ruggs making speed presence felt

2020 first-round pick putting his speed to work

Henry Ruggs III continues to show the NFL what he is — a true speed threat.

Ruggs may never produce like the first wide receiver taken in the 2020 NFL draft should be expected to, but he is growing into his role and it certainly has a presence in the Las Vegas Raiders’ offense.

On Monday in a Week 4 loss at the Los Angeles Chargers, Ruggs made another big catch — a 51-yard reception from quarterback Derek Carr. It was his fourth catch of 20 or more yards in four games. He is one off the NFL lead.

Ruggs has 14 catches for 297 yards and is averaging 21.2 yards per catch. All of last season, Ruggs had 26 catches for 452 yards for a 17.4 per catch average. The key to his production growth has been targets. He is earning the trust of Carr and coach Jon Gruden to get the ball thrown more his way.

He’s been targeted 25 times with five times the lowest in any game. Last season, Ruggs was targeted just 43 times. It seems the Raiders know they will take some deep shots at Ruggs. That wasn’t the case last season.

He is also showcasing the 4.27 speed that made him the No. 12 overall pick out of Alabama last year.

Again, Ruggs may never be a true No.1 receiver, but he showing his value to the team.

In other Raiders’ links:

• Moehrig honored: Raiders’ safety Tre’von Moehrig made The Athletic’s all-rookie team after the first four games.
• Last look at Chargers: The Athletic broke down the loss to the Chargers in Week 4.
• PFF love: Pro Football Focus named four Raiders to their first-quarter team.
• Third-quarter success: The Raiders have scored 28 points in four games in four games, more than they did in the entire 2019 season.