Las Vegas Raiders receiver Henry Ruggs reportedly suffered a minor injury over the weekend when helping a friend move. Brad Crawford of 247Sports reported on Monday the injury occurred when Ruggs had his leg pinned between his friend’s car and a trailer. NFL insider Ian Rapoport reported on Twitter that Ruggs was “ok” after piercing his leg. Rapoport added the wound wasn’t considered serious.
The NFL insider was able to report that Ruggs wasn’t expected to have any long-term issues, despite the fact the Raiders refused to comment on the injury. The team reportedly said it was going to honor Ruggs’ right to medical privacy in this instance.
After news of the injury started making the rounds on social media, there were some NFL analysts who voiced concern over Ruggs’ health. The receiver, who was a first-round draft pick for the Raiders in April, is one of the fastest players to enter the league in the last few years. When reports that he hurt his leg came to the forefront, some wondered if that speed might be hampered.
Just how explosive the former Alabama Crimson Tide wideout really is was hidden in some way because of the offense Nick Saban’s team runs. The Tide have moved to a more pass-focused offense in recent years, but still don’t rely a great deal on one player.
He did find the end zone quite a bit starting in Ruggs’ freshman year. He only notched 12 catches that season, but he took those receptions for 229 yards and six touchdowns. His sophomore season was his best ever at Alabama. That year, he caught 46 passes for 741 yards and 11 touchdowns. Last year, his junior season, he caught another 40 passes for 746 yards and seven TDs.
Back in April, SEC Network analyst Chris Doering said he thinks Ruggs is going to have a long career in the NFL.
“This is a guy who has elite sprinter speed who was disappointed at the combine by running 4.27 (seconds). But he is not your typical sprinter. This is a guy that runs excellent routes, has the ability to adjust to the ball, has great body control in the air, can go up and high-point the football. Obviously, when he has the ball in his hands, he can make guys miss and take a 5-yard catch 55 yards for a touchdown.”
Doering went on to say he believed Ruggs was the most dangerous player in the rookie class. He also said he thought that when people look at the draft, the receiver was the one who had the most productive career.
