1. Cesar Ruiz, No. 51

And now, the best jersey number in the Saints rookie class (until the club’s 13 undrafted free agent pickups make their picks, anyway). Ruiz gets to wear the same number he crushed it with in college, and he might get to do it thanks to an obscure NFL loophole.

Right now, offensive linemen are only allowed to wear jerseys numbered from 60 to 79 — unless they play center. Centers can sneak a number in the 50’s if it hasn’t been snapped up by the team’s linebacker corps, and Ruiz is in luck (Manti Te’o wore No. 51 last season for the Saints, and Colton Jumper used it in preseason. Both are free agents.).

However, Ruiz might not play center for the Saints this year. He’s expected to compete for that job with Erik McCoy, with the runner-up sliding over to guard instead; likely replacing Larry Warford, a three-time Pro Bowl alternate who turned in a subpar performance last year and accounts for the second-highest salary cap hit in New Orleans.

If Ruiz ends up playing at right guard in Warford’s place, the Saints would be able to keep him in No. 51 by designating him a center/guard. That’s a more common practice than you might think, with Indianapolis Colts superhero  Quenton Nelson carrying that designation (and No. 56) despite playing exclusively at left guard.

So the NFL’s jersey rules are a little more flexible than the rulebook would have you believe. They just aren’t flexible enough to let Reggie Bush wear No. 5 in the NFL, something we’ll never forgive.

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