Get To Know Michigan C Cesar Ruiz (TDN)

[AsthmaField]

Note: I know Dallas won’t draft a center in the first round but I really do love this player. He’s the best Center prospect I’ve seen in a while. Physical as hell and can really move for his size. A nasty, nasty player who DT’s will hate playing against.

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Cesar Ruiz has been living with great loss for over a decade.

On December 4, 2007, when Ruiz was just 8 years old, his father, Cesar Edwin, was struck and killed on the side of the highway while helping a stranded driver change a flat tire. His mother, Latoya Shambry, still remembers delivering the news. The two lived in one of the roughest cities in Camden, New Jersey. Ruiz battled severe cases of depression and anger.

He followed in his father’s footsteps and began playing football shortly after. Ruiz developed a deep love for the game, so much so that he broke his wrist and returned three weeks later with a cast on because he didn’t want to miss any more of the action. After starting his high school career in Camden, he transferred to IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.


Ruiz helped lead the program to two undefeated seasons (2015, 2016), was rated the top center in the country by most recruiting services and committed to Michigan.

In the not so friendly confines of 105,000-plus roaring fans, there was a player at the nucleus who served as a driving force behind Michigan’s operation. In his freshman season, Ruiz appeared in 10 games with five starts at right guard. He moved to center before his sophomore year and started in all 13 games both his sophomore and junior seasons.

The following transcript has been edited for clarity.

Question: Everyone says football in the north is usually a little different. How did you first get involved?

Ruiz: When I was 10 years old, my mom asked me, “Do you want to play football?” And I was like, “Sure.” All I was doing was playing Madden before that anyway. Ever since the first day I played football, I fell in love with it.

Read the rest here;
https://thedraftnetwork.com/articles/getting-to-know-michigan-center-cesar-ruiz

 

[AsthmaField]

His write-up from Crabbs at The Draft Network:


Functional Athleticism - His pulls are crisp! Really appreciate how clean his hip hinge and feet are to get out of his stance with suddenness to keep angles tight and quickly work out in front of plays as a lead blocker. His short area mirror skills surprise, especially given his dense and wide frame. Light on his feet and effective to quickly drive back inside.

Football IQ - Polished player with three seasons worth of starts on the interior. He's got good talk before the snap and rarely, if ever, caught off guard by stunts or blitzes. Shows effective reaction to penetration, implementing slingshot technique as needed to recover versus a hard upfield burst.

Anchor Ability - Naturally thick and his lower body carries a ton of his mass, meaning he's got a naturally low center of gravity and isn't easy to bull. Locked horns with plenty of heavy handed and long armed defenders and maintained his squat and glute recruitment to play confidently and with clean posture to hold his ground.

Hand Technique - His short area work is effective, he's got strong grip strength and upper body to torque and push/ pull defenders out of gaps. He doesn't have super rangy punches but his mobility helps him to mask well enough and keep defenders in his strike zone. Really sharp first punch with his free hand at the snap.

Balance - He's super stout and carries his frame very well, both in close quarters and on the hoof. When he's asked to release on to the second level or work the fringes as a screen blocker he's nimble and shows good grasp on when to break down and make sure he doesn't overrun his targets.

Pass Sets - Wide base and smooth footwork — impressive. His slide sets and quick sets show snap and allow him to set up quickly and get framed on his blocks. Showed improved cadence in steps as he was walked back into the pocket to stay evenly tethered and ready to drop anchor.

Flexibility - Lateral mobility through the hips to throw himself open and accelerate is strong. For such a tall body at center, he looks to be much improved with his pad level in 2019 versus initial looks at his game from 2018. He's effective to drop the hips and bend the knees, showing high end coil though the core and torso.

Power at POA - Capable of railroading smaller IDLs and will delete LBs shooting into A-gaps. He's had some stunning double teams with teammates Michael Onwenu and Ben Bredeson on the interior. Has all the functional strength he'll ever need to hold up in one on ones against nose tackles.

Length/Extension - Reach and extension aren't his hallmark traits. He's pretty boxy and doesn't showcase a great radius of influence away from his chest. That said, he masks his reach with quick hands and the foot activity necessary to press the issue and stay persistent in the face of defenders.

Competitive Toughness - Stout! Appreciate the tenacity he brings to the game. He's not an immobile boulder, even if he's built like one. Instead, he's a wrecking ball inside and he's got the athleticism to be a unique asset to the offensive line. His effort level is A1 on screens, in pass protection when unoccupied and when he's in the open field.

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Best Trait - Balance

Worst Trait - Length

Best Film - Ohio State (2019)

Worst Film - Iowa (2019)

Red Flags - None

Summary - Cesar Ruiz is a rock solid center prospect who should comfortably slot into any kind of offensive system at the NFL level. Ruiz brings desirable strength in one on one scenarios but also provides nimble quickness as a puller and in pass protection. His lack of length regulates him to manning the middle as a center only, but he's a cerebral and polished player leaving Michigan and should provide stability and effective communication at the heart of whichever offensive line he calls home.

Link: https://thedraftnetwork.com/player/cesar-ruiz/HRgG1Dhpp7