Henry Ruggs

Henry James Ruggs III (born January 24, 1999) is a former American football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for two seasons with the Las Vegas Raiders.

The Las Vegas Raiders selected him with the 12th overall pick, their first since moving from Oakland earlier in the year.

In 2017, 247Sports.com ranked him as the second-best high school football player in Alabama.

Ruggs received scholarship offers from more than 20 colleges to play football; he chose the University of Alabama.

As a true freshman at Alabama in 2017, Ruggs had 12 receptions for 229 yards and six touchdowns.

He played college football at the University of Alabama, where he was a member of the team that won the 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship.

As a sophomore in 2018, he had 46 receptions for 741 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Ruggs' brother Kevontae played college football for Ole Miss in 2018 before transferring to East Mississippi Community College in 2019.

As a junior in 2019, he had 40 receptions for 746 receiving yards and seven receiving touchdowns.

During his junior season, Ruggs was also the team's primary kick returner and averaged 23.8 yards per return.

His 24 total career receiving touchdowns places him third on Alabama's all-time leaderboard.

Ruggs was also the Raiders' second consecutive first-round pick of a player from the University of Alabama, joining 2019 first round running back Josh Jacobs.

Ruggs was selected by the Raiders in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft.

During his second season, Ruggs caused a motor vehicle collision that killed the driver of another car.

He was released by the Raiders the same day.

Ruggs pled guilty to driving under the influence (DUI) resulting in death and vehicular manslaughter in 2023 and was sentenced to three to 10 years in a Nevada state prison.

He is currently incarcerated at the Stewart Conservation Camp.

Ruggs grew up in Montgomery, Alabama.

In the eighth grade, he was promoted to the varsity football team for the final two games of its season.

He attended Robert E. Lee High School.

He did not play high school football until his junior year and received his first scholarship offer after just his second game on the gridiron.

As a senior, he had 38 catches for 639 yards in nine games.

He scored 20 touchdowns: nine catches, seven rushes, three passes, and one kick return.

Ruggs also played basketball and ran track in high school; his 100-meter dash time of 10.58 seconds was the Alabama High School Athletic Association's class 7A record.

On January 6, 2020, Ruggs announced that he would forgo his true senior year and enter the 2020 NFL Draft.

Ruggs ran a 4.27-second 40-yard dash at the 2020 NFL Combine that was the year's fastest time by any prospect by .08 seconds, and it tied for the fourth-fastest ever at the event since electronic timing began in 1999.

Ruggs' vertical jump was measured 42 inches, tied for second-best among wide receivers at the 2020 combine.

At the 2020 NFL Draft, Ruggs was the first wide receiver to be drafted.

On July 21, 2020, Ruggs signed a fully guaranteed four-year contract worth $16.67 million, with a team option for a fifth year.

On September 13, 2020, Ruggs made his NFL debut in the season opener against the Carolina Panthers, including making his first career catch.

During Week 5 against the Kansas City Chiefs, Ruggs recorded his first 100-yard game, with 118 receiving yards, which included his first career touchdown, a 72-yard reception.

He was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list by the team on December 15, 2020, and activated on December 24.

Ruggs finished his rookie year with 26 receptions, 452 receiving yards, and two touchdowns in 13 games played.

In the 2021 season, Ruggs had 24 receptions, 469 receiving yards, and two touchdowns in seven games.

Ruggs was released on November 2, 2021, the day he was involved in a drunk driving car crash which killed the other driver.

His less-than-two-season stint with the Raiders totaled 20 games, 1,197 all-purpose yards, and four touchdowns.

Ruggs credits his friend Roderic Scott with encouraging him to play football in high school.

Scott died in a car crash at 17 years of age, and Ruggs would honor him with a three-fingered salute after every touchdown because Scott wore number 3 on the basketball court.

In April 2020, Ruggs partnered with Three Square, a southern Nevada food bank, to donate meals to those in need because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

On May 7, 2020, Ruggs' daughter was born to his long-term girlfriend Rudy Washington.