HEIGHT: 5-11 / WEIGHT: 188 / COLLEGE: Alabama / CLASS: Junior
2019 STATS (12 GAMES): 40 rec, 746 yards, 18.7 YPC, 7 touchdowns
CAREER STATS (40 GAMES): 98 rec, 1,716 yards, 17.5 YPC, 24 touchdowns
GAMES WATCHED (7): South Carolina, Duke, LSU, Auburn, New Mexico State, Tennessee (2019); Texas A&M (2018)
40 | BENCH | VERT | BROAD | 3 CONE | 20S | 60S |
4.27 | – | 42″ | 131″ | – | – | – |
SIZE/PHYSICAL TRAITS (3.5/5)
- Slightly undersized, but has a pretty sizable catch radius thanks to excellent leaping ability and superb top-end speed
- Average arm length for a person of his height (30 1/2″)
- Could add more mass to his frame
SPEED/BURST (10/10)
- Elite short-area burst
- Game-changing top-end speed
- Dangerous deep threat
- Demands consistent safety help over the top
- Home-run threat from anywhere on the field
AGILITY (10/10)
- Elite foot quickness
- Smooth change-of-direction movement
ROUTE RUNNING/SEPARATION (17/20)
- Shows good technical skill and variety in release plans — uses combinations and variations of stutter-steps, hesitation moves, shoulder dips and hand-fighting techniques like the forearm pull to free himself from press coverage
- Release speed is startling when cornerbacks play off
- Sudden route breaks and superb stop-start ability allow him to create multiple yards of space against man coverage on horizontal-breaking routes
- Was mostly tasked with running short routes like slants, hitches, drags and screens and deep routes like posts and streaks, so he may need work to become a bigger threat at the intermediate level of the field
- Has a lot of experience playing on the boundary and some experience playing from the slot
- Can struggle to separate at the top of routes vs. physical corners
- Could do a better job of selling routes with his eyes
RUN AFTER CATCH (9.5/10)
- Tough runner after the catch with good contact balance
- Always a threat to take it the distance when the defense gives him a crease
- Outruns favorable pursuit angles regularly
- Not especially creative in the open field but has good vision and sets up blocks well
HANDS/BALL SKILLS (18/20)
- Natural hands catcher with good catch consistency
- Has spectacular catch ability
- Shows good toughness and concentration to make catches in traffic
- Could high-point the ball more consistently
BODY CONTROL (9/10)
- Able to make tough catches away from his frame thanks to plus hand strength and body control
- Gears down easily for routes that work back towards the ball
BEAT PRESS (7/10)
- Gets off of press using quickness and refined footwork; can also dip the shoulder and use hand-fighting techniques to earn a clean release
- Avoids getting jammed at the line fairly consistently, but can have trouble maintaining separation if corners get a hand on him as he pushes vertically
- Currently lacks the functional strength to fend off physical corners throughout the route
- Could benefit greatly from added upper-body strength
TRACK/ADJUST (4/5)
- Tracks the ball well on downfield throws
- Works himself into soft spots of zone coverage
- Can be late to get head around on quick-hitting throws
- Could do a better job of adjusting on broken plays
OVERALL GRADE: 88.00/100.00 — EARLY 1ST ROUND — Quality starter with Pro Bowl potential
NFL COMPARISON: Tyreek Hill
SCHEME FIT: Z receiver with the versatility to play Y. Ideally suited to play in a vertical offense.
DRAFT PROJECTION: Top-15 pick
Henry Ruggs will need to improve his functional strength/physicality at the top of routes to realize the entirety of his immense potential, but even without that, he’s a high-floor player. If he improves on his ability to separate against physical corners, he could become a top-5 NFL receiver.