The Las Vegas Raiders drafted speedy Alabama receiver Henry Ruggs with the 12th pick of the NFL draft Thursday night.

The move to take Ruggs gives the Raiders the dynamic receiver they had hoped they had acquired a year ago when they traded for Antonio Brown, only to cut him before he ever played a game for the team.

Coach Jon Gruden and general manager Mike Mayock had their choice of receivers and went for the fastest one instead of players who were more prolific in college, like Ruggs’ teammate at Alabama, Jerry Jeudy, or Oklahoma’s CeeDee Lamb.

Ruggs is the type of speedster that late Raiders owner Al Davis would have coveted as evidenced by his 4.27-second 40-yard dash at the combine.

But he is a much more refined receiver than Darrius Heyward-Bey, whom Davis took seventh overall in 2009 because of his speed but never developed into a top wideout in the NFL.

Ruggs dropped only one pass last season at Alabama and averaged more than 10 yards after catch per reception, according to Pro Football Focus. But he only caught four deep passes and had 86 catches for 1,481 yards the past two seasons on a team that featured several standout receivers, including Jeudy, Devonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle.

Ruggs is the fourth Alabama receiver taken in the first round of the past 10 drafts, joining Atlanta’s Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley, and Raiders 2015 first-rounder Amari Cooper, who is now with Dallas.

The Raiders had one of the NFL’s least productive receiver groups last season after releasing Brown two days before the opener after a summer full of public turmoil.

The team’s wideouts ranked 30th in the league in receptions (145) and 29th in yards receiving (1,858) with fifth-round rookie slot receiver Hunter Renfrow catching the most passes with 49.

Tyrell Williams is also back after struggling most of last season with injured feet, along with free agent acquisition Nelson Agholor. There are no other proven receivers on the roster, leaving a major void at the No. 1 receiver spot.

This marked just the sixth time the Raiders took a receiver in the first round of the draft with Cooper (2015), Heyward-Bey (2009), Tim Brown (1988), Jessie Hester (1985) and Mike Siani (1972) the others.

Cooper was expected to be a long-term fixture after topping 1,000 yards receiving in his first two seasons but he struggled with consistency after that and was traded to Dallas midway through the 2018 season.

The Raiders also have the 19th pick, acquired in a 2018 deal from Chicago for star pass rusher Khalil Mack with needs in the secondary and for other defensive standouts.

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