Mock Draft and React: Peter King has the Eagles landing Alabama WR Henry Ruggs with the 21st pick
20 April 2020 DRAFT
There’s always a few mock drafts that carry a significant more weight than all the rest. SI.com’s Peter King released his annual mock draft this weekend and not only is it one to listen to, it has the Philadelphia Eagles landing one of the best weapons in the draft.
With the 21st pick in the 2020 NFL draft, King has the Eagles taking Alabama wide receiver Henry Ruggs.
“Maybe Eagles GM Howie Roseman will find a taker for Alshon Jeffery and his hefty salary (maybe by paying a good chunk of it), or maybe the Eagles have to play with Jeffery and his injury bug for one more season; when he’s on the field he’s effective if not a star. But the thing I heard about the Eagles in the last few days is, Henry Ruggs will not get past 21. So here we are. Ruggs and his 4.27 40-speed are obviously tempting, and 24 touchdowns on only 98 career catches is explosive stuff. But a couple of things make me wonder. Three years, 41 games, 2.4 catches per game, 41.9 receiving yards per game. The most dangerous weapon in your offense gets 42 yards a game? The other side of that is some very smart offensive minds—Sean Payton, Andy Reid—love Ruggs. He’s competitive, and he doesn’t drop many. If he goes to Philadelphia, he’ll be the deep weapon Carson Wentz has imagined with DeSean Jackson.”
With a deep wide receiver class, King suspects most teams will wait to take one and go with another position in the first round, hence Ruggs falling to 21. We’ve seen Ruggs break the top ten in some mock drafts, however, the consensus has been he would go top 15. With his speed and play making ability, the Eagles would be all over him if he were to fall to 21.
Last season at Bama, Ruggs caught 40 passes for 746 yards and seven touchdowns. He was a constant threat on the field and could change the game with one play. Currently the Eagles do not have that kind of option on their team at wide receiver besides Desean Jackson who missed 95% of the year injured.
Ruggs is an absolute no questions asked pick here if you are the Eagles. We know Ruggs has speed and we know he can change the game. But, what is promising here is that the Eagles can work with him and make him even better. He just started playing football in high school. His game is not even complete yet, an NFL coach and coaching from player like Carson Wentz, Alshon Jeffery, Zach Ertz and Jackson will go a long way.
A prospect like Ruggs falling to 21 is rare. The deep wide receiver class certainly helps the Eagles this season because any other year he’d be the first one off the board.
Mandatory Credit: Butch Dill-USA TODAY Sports