Ruggs, Claypool, Mims shine during first day of on-field work at NFL Combine

Henry Ruggs III is as fast as people thought he was.

Jalen Reagor? He’s fast, too – just not 4.2 40 fast.

The official 40 times from the first day of on-field drills at the 2020 NFL Combine were released Thursday night, and, just as expected, the 5-foot-11, 188-pound junior receiver out of Alabama ran the fastest 40 with a time of 4.27. The record is 4.22, set in 2017 by former Washington receiver John Ross.

Ruggs, who also had a 42-inch vertical jump and a broad jump of 131 inches, had to pull out of the rest of the on-field workouts after his final 40 and was seen icing his quad. He’s still expected to participate in Alabama’s Pro Day.

Reagor, meanwhile, wasn’t slow by any means, posting a very respectable 4.47 40, but he didn’t challenge for the title of fastest receiver. Overall, it was a mixed bag for the 5-11, 206 pound TCU junior receiver. Reagor posted a vertical jump of 42 inches and had a broad jump of 11 feet, 6 inches – all outstanding numbers – but then had posted average times in the three-cone drill (7.31 seconds) and 20-yard shuttle (4.46 seconds).

“I wouldn’t say he hurt himself, but he didn’t help himself,” an NFL Draft analyst told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram about Reagor’s performance at the combine. “His jump kind of equaled the 40-yard runs out. Ridiculous explosion.”

Reagor is expected to run again at TCU’s Pro Day on March 27.

Other notable times and drills from the receivers include:

• Southern Miss’s Quez Watkins (6-0, 185) ran a 4.35, the second-fastest time.
• Alabama junior Jerry Jeudy (6-1, 193) also had a good Combine, looking smooth in drills and posting a 40 time of 4.43.

• Baylor’s Denzel Mims (6-3, 207) and Notre Dame’s Chase Claypool (6-4, 228) were two of the big winners Thursday. Mims ran the third-fastest 40 among receivers at 4.38 seconds, while Claypool was just a tick slower at 4.42 and was the only receiver to finish in the top 10 with his 40 time and bench press (19 times, good for fifth among receivers). “There’s a lot to love on Mims’ game film, from clever head-fake releases to tough catches,” writes Mike Tanier of The Bleacher Report. “Look for him to push past some bigger names and into the first-round conversation after last night’s performance.”
• Laviska Shenault (6-1, 227) of Colorado posted a surprising time of 4.58. “Shenault fits the profile of a Deebo Samuel-style slot receiver/reverse threat/Wildcat guy, but he came to Indy trying to break out of that mold and into the ‘go-to receiver’ category,” Tanier wrote in his Combine notebook. “In this receiver class, a specialist with iffy measurables could get lost in the crowd.”

The tight ends and quarterbacks also went through drills.

• Oklahoma’s Jalen Hurts (6-1, 222) ran the second-fastest 40 at 4.59 seconds and looked good throwing the ball, while Hawaii’s Cole McDonald (6-3, 218) had the fastest time among QBs at 4.58.
• Oregon’s Justin Herbert looked sharp during throwing drills and put up a fast 40 (4.68).
• Tight end Albert Okwuegbuam, a junior out of Missouri, had the fastest 40 time by a wide margin with a time of 4.49. By comparison, Brycen Hopkins of Purdue and Stephen Sulliavan of LSU both posted a 4.66.

The NFL is starting to update its Combine results, including player profiles and video. You can see it here.

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