New Orleans Saints 2020 NFL Draft Round One Notes
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New Orleans Saints 2020 NFL Draft Round One Notes With the 24th pick overall, New Orleans selected Michigan C/G Cesar Ruiz. Ruiz is the tenth Michigan player selected by New Orleans. He is the first former Wolverine selected by the Saints since WR Adrian Arrington was picked in the seventh round of the 2008 NFL Draft. Ruiz is the first former Michigan player selected in the first round by New Orleans. This was the fourth time in franchise history that New Orleans has selected a player with the 24th pick in the NFL Draft, joining LB Alvin Toles (1985), FB Craig Heyward (1988) and DE Cameron Jordan (2011). Ruiz is the 12th offensive lineman selected by New Orleans in the first round all-time, joining G John Shinners (1969), G Royce Smith (1972), G Kurt Schumacher (1975), T Stan Brock (1980), T Jim Dombrowski (1986), T William Roaf (1993), G Chris Naeole (1997), T Kyle Turley (1988), T Jammal Brown (2005), T Andrus Peat (2015) and T Ryan Ramczyk (2017). The 6-4, 316-pound Ruiz was a three-year letterman, who appeared in 36 games at Michigan, making 31 consecutive starting assignments to finish his career. He opened five games at right guard in 2017 and 26 straight at center the past two seasons. As a junior in 209, Ruiz started all 13 games at center including his third consecutive bowl game with the start against Alabama in the VRBO Citrus Bowl. Ruiz was selected as an All-Big Ten second-team selection by the conference coaches, as he was the highest-graded pass blocking center in the country according to Pro Football Focus. It marks the second consecutive year the Saints have selected an offensive lineman with their top pick in the NFL Draft, after C/G Erik McCoy was selected in the second round out of Texas A&M in 2019. A native of Pennsauken, N.J., Ruiz was the Rivals No. 1 center recruit coming out of IMG Academy in Florida where he played from 2015-16 Ruiz majored in Afro-American and African studies at Michigan. The Saints have four picks, remaining in the 2020 NFL Draft, scheduled to pick in the third round with the 88th overall pick tomorrow evening. .