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Michigan is losing the bulk of its offensive line, in more ways than one.
With three seniors and one early-entrant, four of the five offensive linemen from 2019 are gone, with eyes on the NFL. Some have better chances than others to be selected in the April NFL Draft in Las Vegas, and with excellent showings in the post-season all-star bowl games, both left guard Ben Bredeson and right guard Michael Onwenu both put in bids to be among the selectees called to the stage in two months.
But neither are the ones scouting website Pro Football Focus forecasts among their top ten offensive linemen entering the draft.
That distinction goes to junior center Cesar Ruiz, a two-year starter at the position who decided shortly after the VRBO Citrus Bowl that he would forgo his final year in maize and blue. When it comes to interior linemen, Ruiz is the only junior included in PFF’s list.
9. CESAR RUIZ, MICHIGAN
Draft Board Rank: 94th
The lone true junior on this list, Ruiz declared early because he’s already shown all the physical tools needed to succeed at center in the NFL. He’s so graceful for a 6-foot-4, 320-pound center that you often forget just how big he really is when watching his tape. He’s still not quite a power player, though, as indicated by his 64.9 run-blocking grade from last year, but at only 20 years of age, he could still develop a good deal physically.
While we’re not doubting that Ruiz could go as high as the second or third-round, it seems unlikely that both Bredeson and Onwenu didn’t help their cases for high draft inclusion with their showings this past month. Also, PFF’s lack of placing either is surprising, given the praise they’ve shown both throughout the year, given that both were exceptional in pass blocking in 2019.