{"id":79997,"date":"2020-01-27T06:35:49","date_gmt":"2020-01-27T11:35:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/?p=79997"},"modified":"2020-02-21T05:54:04","modified_gmt":"2020-02-21T10:54:04","slug":"henry-ruggs-new-england-patriots-nfl-draft-targets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2020\/01\/27\/henry-ruggs-new-england-patriots-nfl-draft-targets\/","title":{"rendered":"Henry Ruggs: New England Patriots NFL Draft Targets"},"content":{"rendered":"

The New England Patriots<\/a> picked a good year to need a wide receiver. After giving\u00a0Tom Brady<\/a><\/strong> arguably the worst supporting cast in the league, the Patriots need to add some difference-makers in the passing game. The 2020 NFL Draft is stacked with playmaking talent, but one name stands out above the rest.\u00a0Henry Ruggs<\/strong> is a dynamic big-play threat and has a good shot of being on the board when the Patriots are on the clock.<\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t to say that Ruggs is the best receiver in the upcoming draft class – he\u2019s not. However, it\u2019s hard to imagine any scenario where a guy like Jerry Jeudy<\/strong> falls to the 23rd overall pick. A lot can happen between now and the NFL Draft, but Ruggs appears to be unlikely to go in the top 20. Even with a lot of talented skill players in the draft, Ruggs\u2019 unique combination of explosiveness and toughness make him an ideal fit for New England.<\/p>\n

Henry Ruggs A Perfect Fit for New England Patriots<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Strengths<\/h3>\n

The first thing that jumps off the page with Ruggs is his ability to make big plays every time he touches the ball. The NFL Combine is roughly a month away and it won’t surprise anyone if Ruggs is among the fastest players tested. Alabama\u2019s offense had a plethora of dangerous weapons and opposing defenses typically played soft zone in an attempt to limit big plays. It didn\u2019t work, as Ruggs had to ability to get the ball underneath the coverage and outrun the entire defense.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/twitter.com\/DLPatsThoughts\/status\/1221063573725765632?s=20<\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t to say that Ruggs is only good after the catch. Ruggs\u2019 speed allows him to beat defenses over the top, and he demonstrated an ability to get open in the red zone with an impressive catch radius. Ruggs\u2019 speed will always be his best attribute, but he\u2019s a well-rounded player who can do a little bit of everything.<\/p>\n

Some players like Ruggs have a reputation of being one-trick ponies. For example, a guy like Brandin Cooks<\/a><\/strong> is great at getting open deep but isn’t capable of making contested catches in tight windows. Ruggs shatters that narrative, as the film shows a receiver capable of breaking tackles, winning contested catches, and taking hits over the middle.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/twitter.com\/DLPatsThoughts\/status\/1221068152609611776?s=20<\/p>\n

Weaknesses<\/h3>\n

Ruggs’ biggest weakness is his relative inexperience with route running. As previously mentioned, opposing defenses typically played zone against Alabama, simply because college teams aren\u2019t capable of lining up in man against both Ruggs and Jerry Jeudy. Because of this, Ruggs never had to hone his route running ability in order to be successful. This is a flaw that affects the vast majority of collegiate wide receivers, as Kyle Shanahan<\/strong> beautifully explained<\/a> a few weeks ago.<\/p>\n

Only time will tell if Ruggs can turn into an above-average route runner, but the early returns are encouraging. Nobody is going to confuse him with Stefon Diggs<\/a><\/strong>, but Ruggs managed to run a few nice routes last year. From an athletic standpoint, he has all of the necessary tools required to run routes at an NFL level.<\/p>\n

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Ruggs wasn’t asked to be a precise route runner in Alabama’s offense but I think there’s enough on tape to feel good about his ability to pick up the nuances of it in the NFL pic.twitter.com\/9KvUZh3sts<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Dave Latham (@DLPatsThoughts) January 25, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n