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Cesar Ruiz (American football)

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Cesar Ruiz
refer to caption
Ruiz with Michigan in 2018
No. 51 – New Orleans Saints
Position:Guard
Personal information
Born: (1999-06-14) June 14, 1999 (age 25)
Camden, New Jersey, U.S.
Height:6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:316 lb (143 kg)
Career information
High school:IMG Academy
(Bradenton, Florida)
College:Michigan (2017–2019)
NFL draft:2020 / round: 1 / pick: 24
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 7, 2024
Games played:65
Games started:59
Fumble recoveries:1
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Cesar André Ruiz (born June 14, 1999) is an American professional football guard for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Michigan Wolverines, and was selected by the Saints in the first round of the 2020 NFL draft.

Early life

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Ruiz was born to an African-American mother and a father of Puerto Rican & Dominican descent and grew up in Camden, New Jersey. Ruiz's father, Cesar Edwin Ruiz, was killed when he was struck by a motorist while helping a driver change tires when Cesar was eight years old.[1] He attended Camden High School before transferring to IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida after his sophomore year.[2][3] Ruiz was named an Under Armour All-American as a senior in 2017.[4] Rated a four-star recruit and the top center in his class nationally, Ruiz committed to play college football at Michigan over offers from Florida, Auburn, LSU, and several other top-level programs.[5][6]

College career

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Ruiz played in ten games as a freshman, starting five games at right guard and long snapper with his first career start coming against Minnesota.[7][8] Ruiz started all 13 of Michigan's games at center as a sophomore and was named third-team All-Big Ten Conference by the league's coaches and was an honorable mention selection by the media.[9][10]

Ruiz was named to the Watchlist for the Rimington Trophy going into his junior season.[11] Ruiz started all 13 of Michigan's games at center, allowing only eight total quarterback pressures in 447 snaps and was named the best pass blocking center in college football by Pro Football Focus, and was named second-team All-Big Ten by the coaches and third-team by the media.[12][13] Following the end of the season, Ruiz announced that he had decided to forgo his senior season in order to enter the 2020 NFL draft.[14] Over three seasons, Ruiz played in 36 games for Michigan with 31 games started.[15]

Professional career

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Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press Wonderlic
6 ft 2+3⁄4 in
(1.90 m) 		307 lb
(139 kg) 		33+1⁄8 in
(0.84 m) 		11 in
(0.28 m)		 5.08 s 1.77 s 2.94 s 4.64 s 7.91 s 33.0 in
(0.84 m)		 9 ft 5 in
(2.87 m)		 28 reps 21
All values from NFL Combine[16][17]
Ruiz (right, #51) playing for the Saints in 2021.

Ruiz was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the first round with the 24th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.[18] Ruiz made his NFL debut on September 21, 2020, on Monday Night Football against the Las Vegas Raiders, playing on six snaps at right guard.[19]

In the 2021 season opening win against the Green Bay Packers, Ruiz started the game at right guard, but played center for rest of the game after Erik McCoy suffered a calf injury in the first quarter.[20] He continued being the team's starting center for the next four games until McCoy returned in Week 7 and Ruiz moved back to right guard.

On December 20, 2022, the Saints placed Ruiz on season–ending injured reserve with a foot injury.[21] The next day, it was revealed that Ruiz had suffered a Lisfranc fracture during the team's final offensive possession in Week 15 against the Atlanta Falcons.[22]

On September 9, 2023, Ruiz signed a four-year, $44 million contract extension with the Saints with $30 million guaranteed.[23]

References

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  1. ^ Sang, Orion (September 20, 2018). "Michigan's Cesar Ruiz finds smile after death of Good Samaritan father". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  2. ^ Hunt, Todderick (July 27, 2015). "Camden All-American center Cesar Ruiz discusses decision to transfer to IMG Academy in Florida". NJ.com. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
  3. ^ Ragazzo, Pat (February 5, 2020). "Draft Prospect Preview: OC Cesar Ruiz, Michigan". SI.com. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
  4. ^ "Under Armour All-America Game Diary: Cesar Ruiz benefits from tough surroundings". USATodayHSS.com. December 30, 2016. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
  5. ^ Kirpalani, Sanjay (August 30, 2016). "4-Star Cesar Ruiz Discusses Recruitment Updates and Love of Denzel Washington". Bleacher Report. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
  6. ^ Snyder, Mark (December 19, 2016). "Nation's top center Cesar Ruiz commits to Michigan football". USA Today. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
  7. ^ McMann, Aaron (April 12, 2018). "Michigan's Cesar Ruiz: 'I was really born to play center'". MLive.com. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
  8. ^ Baumgardner, Nick (February 14, 2018). "U-M film study: Cesar Ruiz learns on the fly". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
  9. ^ Shaw, Zach (August 7, 2019). "Michigan's most important players: No. 7 Cesar Ruiz". 247Sports.com. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
  10. ^ Levinsky, Greg (July 19, 2019). "Michigan football's Cesar Ruiz, Sean McKeon on watch lists". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
  11. ^ Henschke, Josh (July 19, 2019). "LOOK: Cesar Ruiz named to Rimington Trophy watch list". 247Sports.com. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
  12. ^ McCann, Aaron (January 6, 2020). "Michigan's Cesar Ruiz to skip senior season, enter NFL draft". MLive.com. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
  13. ^ Sang, Orion (December 28, 2019). "Michigan's Cesar Ruiz to decide on future after Citrus Bowl". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
  14. ^ "Michigan center Cesar Ruiz entering NFL draft". ESPN.com. Associated Press. January 3, 2020. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
  15. ^ Hellman, Sam (February 13, 2020). "Mel Kiper: Don't sleep on Michigan's Cesar Ruiz". 247Sports.com. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  16. ^ "Cesar Ruiz Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  17. ^ "2020 NFL Draft Scout Cesar Ruiz College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
  18. ^ Spath, Michael (April 23, 2020). "Cesar Ruiz Is Off The Board: Goes Round 1". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  19. ^ Mocklin, Anthony (September 24, 2020). "New Orleans Saints rookie roundup: Week 2 at the Las Vegas Raiders". CanalStreetChronicles.com. SB Nation. Retrieved September 30, 2020.
  20. ^ DeShazier, John (September 16, 2021). "Offensive lineman Cesar Ruiz fluidly moved from guard to center during New Orleans Saints' opener". NewOrleansSaints.com. Retrieved December 6, 2021.
  21. ^ Hendrix, John (December 20, 2022). "Saints Place Cesar Ruiz on Injured Reserve". SI.com. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
  22. ^ Waack, Terrin (May 25, 2023). "Saints guard Cesar Ruiz still rehabbing a foot injury during OTAs. Here's where things stand". NOLA.com. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
  23. ^ Simmons, Myles (September 9, 2023). "Saints agree to four-year extension with Cesar Ruiz". NBCSports.com. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
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