Raiders: Gauging the early impact of each 2020 NFL Draft pick

What should we expect from the Raiders’ 2020 NFL Draft class after one week?

2020 has been an interesting year, to say the least. With rookie minicamps, OTAs, and preseason games eliminated due to coronavirus restrictions, this offseason has been an unprecedented one for the Las Vegas Raiders.

While there was much optimism about this year’s rookie class, nobody knew quite what to expect heading into the season opener, seeing as there was not much to go on with the absence of actual game tape.

As we know, the Raiders opened up the season with their first win of the Las Vegas era, defeating the Carolina Panthers 34-30 in a hard-earned, come from behind road victory in Charlotte.

With game one out of the way, we examine what to expect from this year’s rookie class going forward.

Henry Ruggs, WR, Raiders

No player in the 2020 class, outside of maybe the now-departed Lynn Bowden, had Raiders fans more pumped for his debut than top pick Henry Ruggs.

With his top-end speed and Alabama pedigree, Ruggs was supposed to give Derek Carr the deep threat needed to take the Raiders offense to the next level. If Week 1 is any indication, the future should be bright.

Although Carr missed Ruggs deep on his first attempt, he later found him for a 45-yard strike that Ruggs nearly took to the house.

Although Ruggs indeed has elite speed, to pigeonhole him solely as a deep threat is selling him short. He showcased some of his versatility in the run game as well, finishing with 11 yards on two carries.

Expect Ruggs to be a large part of the gameplan of the Raiders’ offense going forward.