{"id":81107,"date":"2020-02-21T06:06:42","date_gmt":"2020-02-21T11:06:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/?p=81107"},"modified":"2020-02-21T06:06:42","modified_gmt":"2020-02-21T11:06:42","slug":"henry-ruggs-denver-broncos-nfl-draft-targets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2020\/02\/21\/henry-ruggs-denver-broncos-nfl-draft-targets\/","title":{"rendered":"Henry Ruggs: Denver Broncos NFL Draft Targets"},"content":{"rendered":"

Drew Lock<\/a><\/strong> ended the 2019 season on a high note. After starting the season on the short-term injured reserve, Lock took over towards the end of the season and led the Broncos<\/a> to a 4-1 finish. He did enough to earn the job heading into 2020, but now the Broncos need to give him another big-time playmaker like Henry Ruggs<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Courtland Sutton<\/a><\/strong> is a genuine stud, but the rest of the depth chart leaves a lot to be desired. Henry Ruggs probably isn’t the best wide receiver in this class, but he’s starting to climb up draft boards across the country. There is a very good chance that he’ll be the best receiver left when the Broncos are on the lock, and his skillset fits perfectly with Denver’s ideal offensive philosophy.<\/p>\n

Henry Ruggs A Perfect Fit for Denver Broncos<\/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 week 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