Raiders owner Mark Davis says he wanted Henry Ruggs on his list “for the past six months.”

It was a bit surprising that wide receivers were not taken with the first 11 picks in the 2020 NFL Draft, but it was not surprising to see the Las Vegas Raiders pick the fastest of the group at No. 12 overall. Former Alabama wide receiver Henry Ruggs III ran the fourth fastest 40-yard run in NFL combine history in February, posting a time of 4.27 seconds. With the Raiders’ well-known fascination for speed, Ruggs seemed to be the perfect prospect for team owner Mark Davis. During a recent interview with The Athletic, Davis confirmed this.

“Henry Ruggs was the player he wanted for the past six months,” said Davis. “My father was always trying to replace Cliff (Branch) with so many different types of men … Speed, speed, speed and we really walked away from that in the last five, six, seven years. We really didn’t have anyone who could run, no one could run.

“I looked at Henry Ruggs and his speed, swiftness and strength were pretty impressive. And then if you see his best moments in baseball, OMG. He made some nice tackles on interceptions and he will also block. He’s a complete player. I was so excited we recruited him. Maybe that’s the piece we haven’t had, it’s the Raiders football. You throw it deep the first play and security is worried the whole game. “

Despite what was considered one of the deepest catcher classes in NFL history, the Raiders quickly picked other top prospects like Jerry Jeudy and CeeDee Lamb who didn’t own. During his three seasons at Tuscaloosa, Ruggs caught 98 passes for 1,716 yards and 24 touchdowns. Drawing for speed hasn’t always been the best course of action for the Raiders, but Ruggs is much more than just a fast athlete. Either way, Davis believes this choice would have made his late father, Al, very proud.

The Raiders are bringing plenty of youngsters to Las Vegas, as they have done a great job recruiting developing stars on both sides of the ball, such as defender Johnathan Abram, running backs Maxx Crosby and Clelin Ferrell and running back Josh Jacobs. Head coach Jon Gruden hopes that Ruggs can be the type of weapon that helps take his team to a new level of success.