Redskins full NFL first-round mock: Is Chase Young the one?
By Ian Cummings
Wide Receiver. Tennessee Titans. Henry Ruggs III. 15. player. 35.
The Tennessee Titans have to be upset that the Chargers snagged Justin Herbert one pick before them here. But on draft night, there’s no time to wallow in self-pity. The Titans have their own selection to make, and with few quarterbacks on the board who present adequate value, why not choose to make the quarterback’s job easier instead?
They say speed is a quarterback’s best friend, and no one’s faster than Henry Ruggs III. Period. Once viewed as an ancillary piece to Jerry Jeudy’s dominance on the Alabama offense, Ruggs III has recently emerged as an explosive NFL Draft prospect in his own right.
Ruggs III is raw, but with both his speed and vertical explosiveness, he should test at the top of the wide receiver class with his athleticism. He could legitimately run in the 4.2 range, and that kind of speed is going at a premium in today’s NFL. Ruggs III needs to polish his game, but he has the unteachable traits, more than anyone else.
Passing up on a quarterback isn’t ideal for the Titans, but being that they’re postponed in the middle of the first round, they don’t have the opportunity to choose who’s available. For now, they’ll have to wait. And maybe, perhaps, if Ryan Tannehill leads Tennessee to a Cinderella playoff bid (he’s 2-1 now as their starter), they could give him a chance to maintain the job.