Michigan football: 5 takeaways from five rounds

Cesar Ruiz will be a Pro Bowl offensive lineman at guard or center

Michigan football may not have found their way into the College Football Playoff. They haven’t won some of the big games. They have, however, produced several first-round draft picks.

Cesar Ruiz is the newest member of the distinguished group of Wolverines drafted in the first round of the NFL draft.

It’s not surprising. As a high school athlete at the prestigious IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, Cesar reached the national ranking of 47th overall, according to 247 sports composite, with four stars and 9786 rating.

Ruiz was one of the best linemen for Michigan during his time, appearing in 36 games, but he stood out amongst his lineman peers at center. Ruiz can shift over to guard as he did during his freshman year before becoming the full-time center for two years.

One the Combine numbers came in, Cesar earned a 6.40 grade, which correlates to “Will be starter within first two seasons.”

The Saints knew based on the resume, ratings, and Combine performance, they couldn’t pass, and with the 24th overall pick, New Orleans had their future phenom.

With the Saints, Ruiz should start either year one or two and will become a future pro bowler. He has ten to twelve years of domination in the trenches ahead of him in the NFL.