Cesar Ruiz
Mike Carter-USA TODAY SportsThe sudden retirement of five-time Pro Bowl center Travis Frederick has made that position an area of at least moderate concern in Dallas. Yes, Joe Looney has handled those duties nicely when asked. Connor McGovern has played center before. Adam Redmond is still with the team, too. But Ruiz was universally considered the best interior offensive lineman in the draft class, and the type of player who could turn out to be elite at the center position. The Cowboys were said to “love” the 6-foot-4-inch, 320-pound Michigan junior.
The 17th slot was thought to be too high for Ruiz to be drafted; New Orleans drafted Ruiz with the 24th pick on Thursday night. Said Saints coach Sean Payton, “One of the areas we wanted to improve in this draft was interior offensive lineman. Those are hard players to find later in the draft. We had a real high grade on Cesar.”
[vertical-gallery id=644388]
[vertical-gallery id=644066]
[vertical-gallery id=643386]
[lawrence-newsletter]