Round 2, Pick 45

Cesar Ruiz, G-C, Michigan

Height: 6-3

Weight: 307

Class: Junior

D.O.B.: 6/14/99

Statistical Profile: Ruiz has started 31 of 36 games at Michigan, including five at right guard and 26 at center. The 20-year old is also a two-time All-Big Ten selection, garnering second- and third-team honors in 2018 and 2019, respectively.

Scouting Ruiz: For my money Ruiz is the best interior offensive lineman I’ve scouted so far in the 2020 draft class, and he won’t turn 21 until June. While it would be unfair to call him a dominant player, Ruiz’s ability to keep things consistently clean in pass protection while doing his job in the run game make him a pretty safe pick even if he never improves, which is unlikely because he has upside.

Heralded as a quality teammate and hard worker by his coaches at Michigan, Ruiz has been playing since arriving as a true freshman in 2017. He’s improved every year, culminating in a strong 2019 campaign that saw him take a huge leap in all aspects of his game.

Pass protection is the most important aspect of any offensive lineman’s game, and Ruiz has all the traits to be great at it. For the majority of the year, Ruiz was tough to beat one-on-one, showing patient feet, good posture and the strikes to end fights early.

One match-up that did give him a little trouble was Alabama, as Raekwon Davis hit him with a swim move a couple of times. I think the defensive tackle’s long arm approach had Ruiz overextending to strike him a few times, and that resulted in the one-on-one losses.

You can see that Ruiz has room to improve, but it’s really important to remember how young he is and how well he still played all season long. Hardly anyone got by him in pass protection, as he showed the ability to be explosive out of his stance, mirror rushers trying to work to his edge and anchor down against power. There isn’t a clear “way to win” against him, and although he can be a little more consistent in some areas (patience, strike timing), Ruiz is already good at the most important part of his job.

He’s no slouch in the run game either, showing the grip strength and quick feet to latch onto blocks and cover up defenders, even though he won’t get many pancake awards. Ruiz is tough, physical and – one of my favorite traits for an offensive lineman – explosive. He erupts off of the snap, playing with good pad level and pop in his hands.

Ruiz is at his best working vertically in the run game, hitting combination blocks and climbing to the second level. He’d be terrific in a run scheme that utilizes Duo a lot, and he’s also shown the ability to pull and hit targets on the move at a high level too.

That’s a terrific adjustment to the linebacker’s run through the B-gap, eliminating the first threat and turning a tackle-for-loss into a touchdown. Great awareness and execution by Ruiz.

Ruiz is currently in that sweet spot as a prospect where he could play right away if needed, but also has room to grow and continue to get better, but no physical or athletic limitations that should hamper that development. I think his range to come off the board is probably 26-50, but given the lack of high-end talent in this interior offensive line class, it wouldn’t surprise me to see Ruiz selected at the end of Round 1.

Bucs Fit: Ruiz may not last until the 45th overall pick, but if he does I believe he’d fit very well in Tampa Bay. The junior can compete right away with Alex Cappa for playing time at right guard, then slide to center next year if the team decides to move on from Ryan Jensen and his $10 million cap hit in 2021. He fits the scheme, has terrific upside and would provide the play demeanor and locker room persona Jason Licht has prioritized adding to the roster over the past two years.

It’ll obviously depend on who else is available and whether Ruiz even lasts to No. 45, but I would be surprised if the Bucs weren’t interested in the Michigan center if he’s there in Round 2.