Raiders’ 2020 NFL draft class already a big failure after Henry Ruggs, Damon Arnette cuts

Usually, it takes at least three full seasons to properly assess whether an NFL team’s draft class is good.

This will not be the case when analyzing the Raiders’ 2020 NFL Draft Class. We can already say with confidence that this was a major bust.

The Raiders had seven picks in the 2020 NFL Draft. All were in the 139 top picks. They had multiple first-round picks as well as three third-round picks and two fourth-round picks. It represented a major opportunity for the team to add an infusion of talent to a 7-9 squad and become a potential playoff contender.

However, things did not turn out. Now, just a year and a half later, most of that draft class aren’t even on the squad anymore. And even fewer have a legitimate impact on Las Vegas.

Below is a breakdown of the Raiders’ 2020 NFL Draft Class and what they’ve been up to since arriving in Las Vegas.

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2020 NFL Raiders Draft Pick

The Raiders used seven picks in the 2020 NFL Draft. They had four picks on offense and three on defense. They mainly focused on upgrading their receiving body – two of their offensive picks were used on receivers and one was used on a hybrid-slash-running-back receiver – and their secondary.

Here is an overview of all their selections.

It looked like a class full of potential in the aftermath of the draft, but since then many picks have quickly erupted.

Henri Ruggs

Ruggs was the first receiver selected in the 2020 NFL Draft, which surprised many who although CeeDee Lamb or Jerry Jeudy would come out of the table first. But the Raiders loved Ruggs speed, so they rode with him.

Ruggs struggled to get involved in the Raiders’ offense as a rookie, as more than a quarter of his 452 receiving yards came in one game. It looked like he was on his way to a busted 2021 campaign and led the NFL with 19.5 yards per catch and 469 yards in seven games.

However, Ruggs was involved in a fatal car crash right after the Raiders bye on November 2, 2021. His Corvette crashed into a Toyota Rav4 driven by 23-year-old Tina Tintor at 3:39 a.m. local time in Las Vegas. , Nev. Ruggs was traveling 156 mph at the time of the crash, and Tintor and his dog, Max, were killed in the crash.

Ruggs’ blood alcohol level at the time of the arrest was more than double the legal limit. He was charged with impaired driving causing death, impaired driving causing serious bodily harm, reckless driving causing death or grievous bodily harm and possession of a firearm while he was under the influence. He faces a significant prison sentence and will likely never play in the NFL again.

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Damon Arnette

Arnette was considered a big reach when the Raiders passed the 19th pick on him in the draft. He was thought to be a second-round prospect with a rise, but he had significant maturity issues entering the league. These quickly became a problem in Las Vegas.

The Raiders have seen Arnette play 13 games for them with seven starts in addition to two seasons in Vegas. He totaled 29 tackles and three pass defenses for the team and failed to land a starting position until his second season.

Arnette landed on IR after week 4 in 2021 but on November 5, 2021 a video of Arnette brandishing a gun and making death threats against an individual surfaced. The Raiders released him on Monday, November 8, with Mayock citing his maturity issues as issue # 1. Mayock also took the blame for sniffing Arnette despite the red flags.

“At the time, we thought it was an acceptable risk,” Mayock said, according to ESPN. “After doing more homework on Arnette than anyone since I’ve been here.” And obviously we missed it, and that’s 100% for me. “

MORE: Why The Raiders Took Damon Arnette Out, Explained

Lynn Bowden Jr.

Bowden actually played as a race-focused quarterback in his final season at Kentucky, but he was to be used as a Swiss Army Knife at the NFL level. After all, he had 1,530 rushing yards and 1,303 receiving yards during his college days.

The Raiders selected Bowden in an effort to turn him into a running back. He had played as a receiver before becoming a quarterback with the Wildcats, but offensive coordinator Greg Olson saw some potential with Bowden in the RPO game.

“You see the game changing from year to year, the use of RPOs (run-pass options) and the use of Taysom Hills, those type of players who played the RPO style attack in college, they become valuable, ”Olson said of Bowden in early August 2020, per Raiders.com. “We think he can make the transition and be a running back and play some of those games at the quarterback he did in college. “

Well, apparently it didn’t work. Bowden didn’t even make it into the regular season with the Raiders before trading him with a sixth-round pick at the Dolphins for a fourth-round pick in 2021. So they essentially sold Bowden – a third-round pick – for pennies on the dollar while giving him a few months to try out a new position.

Bowden came back to the receiver and caught 28 passes for 211 yards as a rookie. He will not play in 2021 after suffering a hamstring injury in late August.

Brian Edwards

Here’s a guy who’s been successful for the Raiders so far. Edwards played sparingly as a rookie, seeing action on about 24% of the shots. He caught 11 passes for 193 yards and a touchdown while making three starts.

In his sophomore year, Edwards played nearly 80 percent of the snaps and had 18 catches for 346 yards and two touchdowns this season. He’s averaging 19.2 yards per catch and has good athleticism on his 6-3 frame. Derek Carr showed some late-game chemistry with Edwards so maybe he can continue to emerge as a long-term starter on the road.

Edwards is the only one of the Raiders’ seven draft picks in 2020 to have emerged as a starter and remained with the team until Week 10 of the 2021 NFL season.

Tanner’s Muse

Muse joins Bowden as another third-round pick who has never played a snap for the Raiders. Former Clemson safety was taken with the 100th pick, and the Raiders wanted to turn him into a downhill linebacker. He had been a great special teams player at Clemson, so that was an added bonus.

Muse suffered toe and foot injuries as a rookie and was unable to enter the pitch. He had two separate runs on IR and also landed on the COVID-19 list. He failed to make the squad in 2021 and was sidelined among the Raiders’ finals.

The Seahawks got Muse back and he played his first NFL game in Week 8 against the Seahawks. He’s scored two tackles in this contest, and that includes his entire NFL stat line to date.

John Simpson

Simpson was a Clemson product, like Muse, but his career has gone a little better since he was selected nine picks after his teammate.

While Simpson only started two games as a rookie, he started all eight Raiders games at left guard in place of Richie Incognito. Simpson allowed only one sack but committed five penalties. He ranked 60th out of 76 qualified goalkeepers in 2021, according to Pro Football Focus.

Simpson hasn’t been a bust so far, but he looks like an below average starter. It’s not too bad for a fourth-round pick, so the Raiders won’t be complaining too much about him.

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Amik Robertson

Robertson was the Raiders’ final pick in 2020 and came with the 139th selection. He was only 5-8, but the Raiders were hoping he could grow into a solid slots player.

Robertson only played 70 total snaps as a rookie, half in defense and half in special teams. He played 134 defensive snaps in 2021, but 113 of them came in two games. He has appeared in six games but has played extensively against special teams in three of them.

Robertson didn’t play for the Raiders in either Week 7 or Week 9, so it looks like he was placed under Rich Bisaccia. Maybe he can bounce back, but it doesn’t look like he’ll be an integral part of the team’s high school going forward.