Cesar Ruiz
No Michigan player has jumped up draft boards in recent weeks more than junior center Cesar Ruiz.
We’d seen some mock drafts with Ruiz in the second-round, but in the past two weeks, we’ve now seen two with him going in the first-round — one at No. 31 overall, and another at No. 22.
Jeremiah compares him to a lineman who emerged out of a veritable offensive line factory at Wisconsin in Travis Frederick, who was selected No. 31 overall in the 2013 NFL Draft. With that in mind, expectations for Ruiz are quite high.
“With Ruiz, I think he reminds me a lot of Travis Frederick when he was coming out,” Jeremiah said. “He’s just firm and strong. He’s consistent each and every game. He plays with great awareness. He doesn’t have — he’s not the quickest afoot, but he does a nice job of latching on and running his feet on contact. And he’s good on combo blocks.
“To me he’s a steady Eddie, high floor, know-exactly-what-you’re-getting player who can get a chance to be a Pro Bowl caliber center. I’m a big fan of his.”
Verdict: Not quite yet a lock for the first-round, but Ruiz is certainly getting close to that.
With a stellar showing at the NFL Scouting Combine, Ruiz has the ability to cement first-round status, even though centers tend to be day two picks.