2020 NFL Draft: Las Vegas Raiders Draft Report Card
By Ian Higgins
Round 1
Combine Results. Alabama. 12. 28. Instant Analysis. WR. Henry Ruggs III. player
The fastest man of the 2020 NFL Combine (4.27 40) finds himself under the bright lights of Las Vegas. With the ability to create separation with speed vertically or work his way through a phone booth to open field, Ruggs is built for the modern game encompassing explosive athletes who can break off slants, hooks, and screens for major gains.
The division rival and Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs have predicated their success off of explosiveness. Teams around the league will look to take pieces of their championship formula, and Las Vegas bringing in a rival speedster that can match Hill’s playstyle and ability to create chunk gains will be one of the first.
Ruggs, like Hill, is well polished and can make plays in the role of a more typical receiver which includes the ever-important middle of the field to move the chains. His deeper route tree is limited, but he has the physical ability to learn and grow in that facet of the game.
Next to wide receivers Williams and Renfrow, each filling a different role in a well-meshed receiving core, Derek Carr will now have a receiver for each and every situation (from the slot, mismatch with size or speed).
Darren Waller also looks come back with another successful campaign, retaining a threatening tight end presence. All of this aerial firepower should concern AFC West defenses between a running game built around Josh Jacobs and a willing deep-passer in Carr.
Grade: A
CB. Ohio State. 19. player. 28. Instant Analysis. Combine Results. Damon Arnette
Unlike the offensive side of the ball, Las Vegas is still missing some pieces to complete a defense. Though a fair amount of free agency included expenditures on the defensive side, only one signing went to a player who has played cornerback a significant amount, Damarious Randall.
He will fit well alongside fellow signing Jeff Heath and second-year safety Johnathan Abram, each filling a specific role in a three-safety system. Damon Arnette is the first piece to fill out a lacking cornerback group. With a physical mentality and downhill aggression against the short pass and run, Arnette is a high-motor player on the edge and can contribute in all defensive phases of the game.
In coverage, Arnette may not have the physical frame of other prospects (6 foot, 195 pounds) nor the speed (4.56 40) but can hound bigger defenders with his bump & run coverage style and ‘dog’ mentality. Arnette does best trailing the hip of a receiver and following his route, playing the ball at the point of attack with impressive ball skills.
Arnette may not be as polished of a zone corner, but he is still able to break down on passes and break up balls with his aggression. Similarly to attacking in the run game, Arnette uses that physicality to jostle receivers and get his hands into the fray. His hand-fighting creates difficult catches for receivers and combines well with his physicality at the point of the catch. Arnette very closely resembles his former Ohio State teammate and fellow first-round selection Jeff Okudah.