Cesar Ruiz would be a bargain for the Rams in the second round of the draft.
Les Snead is as unpredictable as NFL general managers come, so it’s difficult to know which direction he and the Los Angeles Rams will go in the second round of the upcoming draft. They clearly need help on the offensive line, but the defense could use some reinforcements at linebacker and at edge rusher.
In Pro Football Focus’ mind, the best-case scenario for the Rams involves one of the draft’s top centers being available at No. 52 in the second round. Cesar Ruiz out of Michigan is a fringe first-rounder but considering how much teams deprioritize centers, he could slip into the second round.
Here’s what PFF wrote about a situation where Ruiz falls to the Rams at 52.
The Rams desperately need help on the interior of the offensive line, especially at center where they combined to produce the third-lowest pass-block grade in the NFL. While they might not own a first-round pick, they may get lucky and have the best center available to them 52nd overall in Cesar Ruiz. At just 20 years old, Ruiz posted the second-highest pass-block grade among all FBS centers. His run-blocking isn’t polished, but there are few flaws in his pass-pro. Ruiz is precisely what the Rams need.
It’s hard to argue with the case PFF is making. Brian Allen looked overmatched at center last season and Austin Blythe may be needed at guard. Center is the Rams’ weakest position right now, especially with Allen coming off a significant knee injury.
Ruiz would be an immediate upgrade over both Allen and Blythe, and getting him in Round 2 would be a bargain for Los Angeles.
The NFL Draft guru projects the junior center to sneak into the first round of this month’s draft.
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We’re less than two weeks away from the start of the NFL Draft, an event that won’t hold the glitz and glamour of recent years, as the plan to hold it in Las Vegas has been shelved due to the novel coronavirus. Instead, teams will draft from home using Zoom video.
But, it still starts on April 20 with the first-round being the primary highlight.
There’s been a lot of consternation whether or not a Michigan player will get selected on the first day, but if one is going to be, it would be early entrant Cesar Ruiz, the former Wolverines center, who’s at worst, a Day Two prospect.
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But, in his third iteration of his NFL mock draft, NFL.com draft guru Daniel Jeremiah doesn’t foresee Michigan fans having to wait that long, with Ruiz sneaking into the first-round, as the No. 32 pick overall to the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Chiefs could have their choice of the top running backs, but they also need to get younger/better along the interior of their offensive line.
Should Ruiz get selected by the reigning Super Bowl champion, he would be united with fellow former Wolverine in quarterback Chad Henne, who just resigned a deal to stay in KC this past offseason as the backup to Patrick Mahomes.
The Seattle Seahawks address multiple positions of need, while grabbing three players from the same school, in CBS’ latest mock draft.
Most media outlets who attempt mock drafts are only willing to do the first, or maybe the first and second round. After all, trying to predict how the draft will shake out after that is nearly impossible.
The draft as a whole does a good job of identifying team needs, although it’s hard to imagine the team using three of their first five picks on players from the University of Michigan.
Regardless, here is a look at the mock draft selections, and whether or not they are a good fit for the Seahawks in 2020.
The New York Giants will conduct a pre-draft meeting with Michigan center Cesar Ruiz via FaceTime.
The New York Giants are unable to hold any face-to-face prospect meetings due to the coronavirus pandemic, but that doesn’t mean their pre-draft research grinds to a complete halt.
Thanks in large part to a technology team that many assumed the Giants didn’t have (narrative, you know?), general manager Dave Gettleman and his staff have been able to conduct FaceTime meetings with prospects.
One of those upcoming meetings will involve Michigan’s Cesar Ruiz, who is widely considered the best center in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Cesar Ruiz, one of the top interior offensive lineman in this draft class, is receiving a ton of interest. He’s already met with 20 teams that include the #Dolphins and #Bears. He also has FaceTime meetings with the #Giants and #Jets in the coming days, per source.
Ruiz certainly won’t be in contention to go No. 4 overall, but if he’s available in Round 2, the Giants should pounce at No. 36 overall.
Currently, the Giants have Spencer Pulley and Tanner Volson under contract, but precious few feel comfortable with either of those players entering the season. And while it’s possible the team re-sign Jon Halapio once he’s fully recovered from his Achilles tear, they should be looking for their center of the future.
Ruiz is an athletic and technically-sound interior blocker who brings plenty of intriguing traits to the table. He plays with active and polished hands, and his ability to accelerate to the second level and move around in space will help him out at the next level. With a little bit of bulking up, he should be a reliable starter at center or guard for years to come.
If the Giants can land Ruiz in Round 2, it would be a tremendous get and something that will benefit the team for years to come.
LSU quarterback Joe Burrow leads the way in this year’s draft class, followed by an abundance of impact wide receivers and linemen.
With the 2020 NFL Draft fast approaching, it is time to start finalizing draft boards. Not just for NFL teams, but for the team here at Touchdown Wire. Here is Touchdown Wire’s list of the top 25 offensive prospects in the 2020 draft class.
1. Joe Burrow, QB, LSU
(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
The list begins with the player expected to be the first pick off the board when the 2020 NFL Draft begins. Joe Burrow led LSU to a national championship last season and rewrote record books along the way. But the reasons he is the top offensive player — in addition to positional value — are the traits he brings to the table as a prospect.
Competitive toughness. Accuracy. Pocket management. Plus the ability to do all the little things that matter at the position, such as manipulating defenders with his eyes and throwing with anticipation. The Cincinnati Bengals are this close to finally having their quarterback … unless a team breaks the bank to trade up to the first spot.
2. CeeDee Lamb, WR, Oklahoma
(Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports)
In a talented and deep wide receiver class, the players clustered near the top might just be a matter of personal preference. Lamb, Jerry Jeudy and Henry Ruggs III are all potential game-changers at WR. Lamb edges out the rest due to his combination of explosiveness, catch radius, route-running and ability after the catch. Some might knock him for a lack of elite speed, but with his route-running, ability after the catch and how he sets up defenders on his cuts and breaks, the little things he has mastered make up for the lack of 4.4 speed.
3. Jerry Jeudy, WR, Alabama
(Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Spo)rts)
Football is a game of angles. Listen to Bill Belichick talk about angles in the blocking part of the game, and you will understand. That also matters for a wide receiver, how you set up and then break away from cornerbacks, how you exploit their leverage advantages, and how you attack their alignment off the line. Jeudy is a master at that part of playing wide receiver. He also brings great deep speed, elite hands and an ability to turn any play into a touchdown regardless of route. He was used predominantly as a slot receiver last season, but he has the short-area quickness and explosiveness to beat press when he transitions to the NFL.
4. Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Alabama
(John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports)
Obviously the medical picture might cloud Tagovailoa’s outlook in the draft, but based on what he can do on the field, the Alabama passer has to be considered one of the top offensive players in the draft. He possesses a lightning-quick release with a compact throwing motion, drawing comparisons to Jimmy Garoppolo in that regard. He also has the athleticism to extend plays outside of the pocket and keep a defense honest with what he can do as a runner. Tagovailoa is an accurate passer in the short and intermediate areas of the field, ideal for most NFL offenses. There are things he needs to clean up, such as his vision in the post-snap phase of the play, but if the medicals check out, he is a solid prospect at the game’s most important position.
5. Jedrick Wills Jr., OT, Alabama
(Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports)
Similar to the wide receiver position, the offensive tackle group has great talent at the top, so ranking the “Big Four” tackles might come down to a matter of scheme fit or team needs. We can start with Wills, the Alabama right tackle who has been a mainstay on their offensive line the past two seasons. He gave up a single sack and just five quarterback hits during his career with the Crimson Tide. Wills is also a dominant player in the run game, and he has the power to handle gap/man assignments but also the footwork and agility to function well in a zone blocking scheme. What might hurt him in the eyes of some is that he has spent his career at right tackle, and teams looking for a LT might look at someone with more experience at that spot.
6. Andrew Thomas, OT, Georgia
(AP Photo/Brett Carlsen)
If an NFL team is looking for that “plug and play” starter at left tackle, Thomas is likely their man. He was a focal part of the Bulldogs’ offensive line for the past three seasons and made the switch to left tackle prior to the 2018 campaign. Last year, his second at LT, he gave up just one sack and eight quarterback hurries, and did not allow a single QB hit. Thomas is also a force in the ground game. The Georgia offense did give him help, running a lot of play-action, and he often worked with a tight end aligned around him, but his traits and execution translate well to the pro game.
7. Henry Ruggs III, WR, Alabama
(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
“Speed kills.” “You can’t teach speed.” Whatever your favorite sports cliche about speed is, dust it off and bring it to your evaluation of Ruggs. The Alabama wideout has speed to burn and showed that both on film and at the Scouting Combine, where he posted a blazing 4.24 40-yard dash. Ruggs has more than just the jets in his toolkit; he is a solid route-runner, tracks the ball well in the vertical game and is unafraid to work over the middle. But when you have the potential to take a simple slant route to the house on any given snap, you’re going to be coveted in the NFL.
8. Tristan Wirfs, OT, Iowa
(Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports)
The Iowa product is another dominant force at right tackle. Wirfs turned heads at the combine when he posted a 4.85 40-yard dash after weighing in at 6-5 and 320 pounds. For reference, that is a faster 40-yard dash than quarterback Jake Fromm, who ran a 5.01 40. Wirfs is another plug-and-play type of offensive lineman, coming from an offense at Iowa that ran a variety of rushing concepts and tasked him with a lot from a pass protection standpoint. He also has the chance to play both right and left tackle, having seen 161 snaps at LT last season. With his athleticism and strength, Wirfs could be a mainstay at tackle for the next 10 years for the team that drafts him.
Our counterpart at USA TODAY Sports predicts more Wolverines to be selected in the first four rounds than any other mock draft.
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While we’re mostly looking at NFL Draft gurus such as ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. or NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah, here at USA TODAY Sports Media Group, we have a great resource as well in DraftWire.
And our sister site, which put together a four-round NFL mock draft this weekend sees a lot more Michigan players coming off the board later this month than some of its competitors.
We already can expect center Cesar Ruiz, who left Ann Arbor with a year of eligibility remaining, to be an early-round pick, but there’s little-to-no consensus about the other dozen-plus players who could be selected. While other sites who have four-to-seven round mock drafts foresee three-to-four former Wolverines get selected in the first two days and about eight total, DraftWire predicts there could be seven maize and blue players selected, including some surprises.
Starting with the first-round pick of Ruiz and DraftWire’s evaluation:
26. Miami Dolphins (from HOU)
Cesar Ruiz | OL | Michigan
Let’s keep with the “protect Tua at all costs” mentality here. Yes, it would be tempting to take the top running back off the board here, but the depth of this year’s class should give Miami better value on Day 2. Instead, they grab this year’s best interior blocker in Ruiz, who is just 20 years old and already as athletic and physical as they come.
While DraftWire didn’t see any Michigan players being selected in the second-round, they do have a mass of former Wolverines being selected in the third and fourth:
145. Philadelphia Eagles | Jon Runyan | OL | Michigan
Right now, we have little idea if that will happen, but given the high level of play and/or athleticism from all of the aforementioned, we see it as being more likely that some could come off the board sooner than some of the other experts think.
Three former Wolverines are predicted by NFL.com to go in the first four-rounds.
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Right now, there’s very little going on in the way of sports. But one thing we do have to cling to is the NFL offseason.
We’ve seen several former Wolverines make moves in free agency, but with the NFL Draft coming up in April, there will at least be some modicum of excitement in the sports world.
There’s been little consensus as to where the Michigan entries land, with some projecting Cesar Ruiz to be a first-round NFL Draft pick, though not all see things that way. That includes NFL.com draft prognosticator Chad Reuter, who has Ruiz one of three former Wolverines going in his four-round mock draft. He has Ruiz going early in the second-round.
Reuter’s picks:
2nd round (39 overall) – Cesar Ruiz, NY Giants (via trade with Miami Dolphins)
3rd round (92 overall) – Ben Bredeson, Baltimore Ravens
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Should the Ravens land both Uche and Bredeson, it would assuredly make up for the fact that Baltimore traded its lone Wolverine, Chris Wormley, to the Pittsburgh Steelers, which currently has four on the roster (Wormley, Devin Bush Jr., Zach Gentry and Tyree Kinnel).
It would also be a blow to early entrant Donovan Peoples-Jones, who has forgone his final year of eligibility in favor of the NFL Draft. With this latest mock, the earliest he would be selected is in the fifth-round — not great for someone who could have bolstered his stock with another year in college.
The ESPN draft guru anticipates that a former Wolverine will be an early-round selection next month.
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While the world adjusts to no sports actually taking place, things such as NFL free agency and college football recruiting have taken center stage amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Though the complexion of the annual NFL Draft — this year slated to take place in Las Vegas — will certainly have a different look than anticipated, it’s still set to go on, though without its customary audience.
That said, many now-former Wolverines didn’t get a chance to show off their skills at the NFL Scouting Combine earlier this month, in favor of working out at Michigan’s Pro Day, which had been scheduled for March 13. However, that event was canceled as the pandemic truly began to take hold in the United States.
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Thus, those who were slated to be high-end draft picks are still the ones with the advantage, and one former Wolverine is still anticipated to be either a first or second day pick.
ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper released his latest mock draft earlier this week, and prognosticates that the one former Michigan player who has frequently made his way into first-round mocks will be selected by the reigning Super Bowl champions at No. 32 overall.
32. Kansas City Chiefs
Cesar Ruiz, C/G, Michigan
The Super Bowl champs haven’t made many moves this offseason, but their positions of need are clear: cornerback and interior offensive line. Kendall Fuller signed a big deal in Washington, and Bashaud Breeland is still on the market, leaving big shoes to fill. But with Noah Igbinoghene gone to San Francisco one pick earlier, I don’t have a corner with a first-round grade on my board. So let’s give the Chiefs Ruiz, who could slide to guard to replace Stefen Wisniewski.
Ruiz was one of the eleven former Michigan players in attendance in Indianapolis for the combine that actually participated fully.
Now it’s looking like that was a prescient move on his part.
The Baltimore Ravens are finally finding their answer to the departure of C.J. Mosley in Mel Kiper’s third mock of the 2020 NFL Draft.
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With the first week of free agency down and most teams having addressed their top needs with the top free agents, all attention now shifts to the 2020 NFL Draft. It’s there that NFL teams will be able to further fill their immediate needs as well as build for the future.
Though the Baltimore Ravens have been aggressive at the start of free agency, they still have a load of needs they need to fill before Week 1 of the regular season. While they’ll undoubtedly use the second wave of free agency following the draft to find low-cost additions to bolster their roster, it’s the first few rounds of the 2020 NFL Draft where Baltimore can find real stars.
ESPN’s Mel Kiper has put together his third mock draft of the season, using the first week of free agency to readdress every first-round pick to see what changed. However, like his last two mock drafts, Kiper has the Ravens selecting LSU linebacker Patrick Queen at No. 28.
“The Ravens didn’t really address the inside linebacker position in free agency, which means I don’t see a reason to change from my first two mock drafts. Queen fills a direct void as a replacement for C.J. Mosley, who Baltimore lost in free agency a year ago.”
As I noted in my list of team needs, there’s a solid case to be made that inside linebacker might actually be Baltimore’s most pressing issue right now. Though things could certainly change before draft day, the Ravens need at least one other legitimate starter if they plan on having L.J. Fort man the weak-side spot. Even with another player added to the mix, Baltimore could use even more depth at inside linebacker on top of that.
In Queen, the Ravens find their unquestioned starter. He’s a fast, agile and hard-hitting linebacker that’s capable of doing anything defensive coordinator Don Martindale would ask of him. With the team revamping their defensive line, Queen can come down and scrape to make tackles in the run game. He can drop back into coverage. Queen can be sent on blitzes to generate quarterback pressure. In all, Queen looks to be the type of true three-down linebacker Baltimore absolutely needs.
Kiper also noted that he had interior offensive lineman Cesar Ruiz as an option for the Ravens in the first round too.
“I also considered center/guard Cesar Ruiz, who could take over for the retired Marshal Yanda at guard.”
That wouldn’t be a bad investment either, though Baltimore likely feels good about letting Ben Powers have the first crack at the starting job right now. However, if the Ravens love what they’ve seen from Ruiz and believe he could be Yanda’s immediate heir, solidifying their offensive line would be a wise, albeit less exciting, selection.
