The Las Vegas Raiders are just days away from reporting training camp, and there is a ton of excitement surrounding the team after a successful offseason.
The Raiders had a ton of money in cap space and put it to use, mostly improving their defense with additions like Cory Littleton, Nick Kwiatkoski, Damarious Randall, Prince Amukamara, Maliek Collins and Carl Nassib.
Additionally, the Raiders also had two first-round picks in the 2020 NFL Draft, one of which was used to improve their offense by adding a vertical threat in wide receiver Henry Ruggs III out of Alabama.
Before the Raiders can hit the field and the new draftees can show what they are capable of though, they must sign their rookie contracts. All indications are that will happen sometime this week, and it appears they have already gotten started by agreeing to terms with Ruggs, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network:
The #Raiders have agreed to terms with rookie No. 12 pick WR Henry Ruggs and he’s expected to sign in a few days, source said. His four-year, fully guaranteed deal is worth $16.67M with a fifth-year option.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 21, 2020
Ruggs was the first receiver off the board in one of the deepest wide receiving classes ever as the Raiders took him at No. 12 overall over the likes of CeeDee Lamb, Jerry Jeudy and others.
Immediately upon entering the league, Ruggs will be one of its fastest players as he was recently given a 98 overall speed rating in Madden 21, second in the game behind only Tyreek Hill of the Kansas City Chiefs. Ruggs thinks he’s faster than Hill though and is looking forward to proving it once he hits the field.
First though, he must get healthy as suffered a punctured thigh while helping a friend move this offseason, forcing him to get some stitches. All indications are that he will be ready for training camp, so he should have plenty of time to develop chemistry with Derek Carr and the rest of the wide receivers in preparation for the 2020 season.
