Saints draft Michigan C/G Cesar Ruiz with first-round pick

SmashMouth · 04-23-2020, 10:54 PM

The New Orleans Saints have selected Michigan interior lineman Cesar Ruiz with the No. 24 pick of the 2020 NFL draft.

Ruiz, who left Michigan after his junior season. started in five games at right guard as a true freshman, then started all 13 games in his sophomore and junior seasons at center.

Ruiz broke down in tears after the Saints called him, having one of the more emotional reactions of any draft pick in the first round.

“It’s amazing, man," Ruiz said in a TV interview after getting drafted. "I’ve worked my whole life for this. I work my tail off every single day. Day in and day out. And it’s just an amazing feeling to hear my name called by the New Orleans Saints. It’s amazing.”

Ruiz, a 6-foot-3, 307-pound interior lineman ran a 5.08-second 40-yard dash at the NFL combine and had a 33-inch vertical jump.

At the combine, Ruiz said he was confident that he'd be drafted in the first round.

"Because if you look at the film, if you look at how I dominate people, if you look at my character, how smart I am, I have everything for a first rounder," Ruiz said back then.

Ruiz said he's comfortable playing at any interior position on the line, center or guard.

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04-23-2020, 10:54 PM	#1
SmashMouth I donated, did you? Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Mandeville, LA Posts: 38,479 Blog Entries: 29	Saints draft Michigan C/G Cesar Ruiz with first-round pick The New Orleans Saints have selected Michigan interior lineman Cesar Ruiz with the No. 24 pick of the 2020 NFL draft. Ruiz, who left Michigan after his junior season. started in five games at right guard as a true freshman, then started all 13 games in his sophomore and junior seasons at center. Ruiz broke down in tears after the Saints called him, having one of the more emotional reactions of any draft pick in the first round. “It’s amazing, man," Ruiz said in a TV interview after getting drafted. "I’ve worked my whole life for this. I work my tail off every single day. Day in and day out. And it’s just an amazing feeling to hear my name called by the New Orleans Saints. It’s amazing.” Ruiz, a 6-foot-3, 307-pound interior lineman ran a 5.08-second 40-yard dash at the NFL combine and had a 33-inch vertical jump. At the combine, Ruiz said he was confident that he'd be drafted in the first round. "Because if you look at the film, if you look at how I dominate people, if you look at my character, how smart I am, I have everything for a first rounder," Ruiz said back then. Ruiz said he's comfortable playing at any interior position on the line, center or guard. more on NOLA Twitter Twitter iceshack149 and jeanpierre like this.