Rookie Report Card: Henry Ruggs, Collin Johnson and Tyler Johnson
Each week throughout the season, I’ll cover at least two rookies in the Rookie Report Card and try to always include the biggest performers from that particular week. On top of reviewing my expectations for each player coming into the league and how well he’s lived up to those expectations at the NFL level to this point, I’ll grade the player in three categories. Those categories are performance to date, rookie season potential and long-term upside.
If you’re expecting a look at Chase Claypool following his breakout performance, he was already covered in the week two edition of the Rookie Report Card. Instead, we’ll be covering a trio of wide receivers – Henry Ruggs, Tyler Johnson and Collin Johnson.
Henry Ruggs, WR LV
Week Five Stats: Two receptions, 118 yards, one touchdown (three targets)
Likely the most debated draft prospect among dynasty managers in the 2020 class, it became laughable how some would have Ruggs ranked as the top wide receiver while others would have him as low as tenth or 12th. Personally, I loved everything he put on film while at Alabama, where he caught 86 passes for 1,487 yards and 18 touchdowns in his final two seasons.
Ruggs was known with the Crimson Tide for his blazing deep speed (4.27-second 40-yard dash) and knack for making difficult over the shoulder catches look easy but entered the draft process as an underrated all-around route runner. Quick off the line of scrimmage, he consistently gets defensive backs out of position with a couple of steps in one direction before instantly reversing fields, creating immediate separation on slants and crossing routes, then once he gets the ball in his hands he uses his suddenness and burst to elude tacklers in the open field.
All those skills – along with Ruggs’ excellent hands and gritty attitude across the middle and when he needs to get a few extra yards for a first down – made him my favorite late-first round rookie pick in recent memory. When he was taken as the first wide receiver off the board by the Raiders at 12th overall in the NFL draft, he was cemented for me as a top-seven pick in dynasty rookie drafts.
Since a nice debut in week one where he caught three of five targets for 55 yards and added 11 rushing yards, Ruggs has struggled to get over nagging knee and hamstring injuries but looked explosive as ever in week five against the Chiefs when he burnt the Kansas City secondary twice for big plays and finished with 118 receiving yards and a touchdown on two catches.
If it weren’t for playing with quarterback Derek Carr – who refuses to push the ball down the field unless his receiver has multiple steps on the defense – Ruggs would have already had a true breakout performance, but his Tyreek Hill-like 72-yard touchdown on Sunday will have to suffice as a warning of things to come.
Ruggs is far too explosive and dynamic for any defense to contain and any quarterback or scheme to hold back. Everybody in the dynasty community has had multiple opportunities to buy Ruggs at a discounted price but time is running out. Always only a couple plays away from proving his top-five wide receiver upside, this may be last call for the next Tyreek Hill.
Tyler Johnson, WR TB
Week Five Stats: Four receptions, 61 yards (six targets)
One of my favorite late-round flyers in dynasty rookie drafts, Johnson had a marvelous career at the University of Minnesota – catching 164 passes for 2,487 yards (15.2 YPR) and 25 touchdowns in his final two seasons as a Gopher. Blessed with good size (6’-1”, 205 pounds) and impressive leaping ability, he entered the draft process with a reputation for being physical and aggressive at the catch point as well as having a knack for twisting and contorting his body to make “above-the-rim” catches in traffic.
My favorite skill to see in a wide receiver prospect is the killer instinct to attack the football with the belief that every ball is catchable and Johnson has that skill and confidence in spades. Those ball skills along with a very physical run-after-catch style that allows him to break tackles and turn even short passes into big plays should have made him a very coveted receiver prospect in the draft, but his lack of breakaway speed and general quickness to create separation at the top of his routes forced him to slip to the fifth round of the NFL draft where the Buccaneers made him the 21st wide receiver off the board.
Considering he wasn’t invited to the Senior Bowl, chose not to compete in the NFL Combine and landed on a stacked depth chart in Tampa Bay, it was no surprise Johnson was barely a fourth-round pick in rookie drafts. Nonetheless, after being buried behind Chris Godwin, Mike Evans, Scott Miller and Justin Watson for the first month of the season, Johnson got an opportunity in week five and took advantage.
Catching four of six targets for 61 yards in the loss to Chicago, Johnson showed exactly how physical he can be – particularly on a 35-yard catch he made in the first quarter that featured him bouncing off multiple tackles.
Although he’s still buried behind two all-pro wideouts and a couple more solid wide receiver options, Johnson showed enough on Thursday night to land on dynasty managers’ radars. While he shouldn’t be considered for anybody’s starting lineup he’s absolutely worth one of the last few roster spots on your bench. After all, there have been far less talented wideouts who carved out useful fantasy careers.
Collin Johnson, WR JAC
Week Five Stats: Three receptions, 30 yards, one touchdown (four targets)
Johnson had a very productive college career, catching 188 passes for 2,624 yards and 15 touchdowns at Texas, where he was known as a jump-ball threat with the ability to make difficult catches look relatively easy due to his leaping ability and an incredible catch radius. To many, those skills at the catch point along with excellent hands made him a very solid college wideout, but his lack of speed and inability to prove himself as a consistent route runner pushed him down draft boards for both dynasty managers and NFL front offices.
Selected by the Jaguars in the fifth round, Johnson truthers insisted he could have an opportunity – particularly as a red zone threat – to produce early in his career due to the lack of depth at wide receiver in Jacksonville behind DJ Chark and that’s happened at least to some extent as he’s played about 22% of the team’s offensive stats and been targeted ten times in his first five games as a pro.
Unfortunately, however, Johnson has converted just five of those targets into catches for just 47 yards. His highlight to this point was the fourth-down touchdown he hauled in on Sunday where he uncovered for a scrambling Gardner Minschew for the score.
All things told, Johnson has done little to disprove the naysayers who questioned if he’d ever be worthy of a dynasty roster spot. Reminding me of Geronimo Allison with better hands due to his awkward movements and slow breaks, it’s unlikely he ever makes a long-term impact for fantasy managers.
- League Tycoon: Dynasty Salary Cap Fantasy Football - December 15, 2023
- Final Dynasty Rookie Report Card: Wide Receivers, Part Two - March 22, 2023
- 2023 NFL Scouting Combine: Offensive Player Dynasty Review - March 10, 2023
