Former Michigan Wolverines football center Cesar Ruiz is likely to be U-M’s highest selected player in April’s NFL draft, with several of the industry’s top analysts — including ESPN’s Mel Kiper — recently projecting him as a late first round pick in their latest updates.
Kiper has Ruiz pegged to come off the board at No. 32 overall to the Kansas City Chiefs, while several other prognosticators have him tabbed one spot higher at No. 31 to the San Francisco 49ers.
“Projections are always just projections, so I have to make it happen,” Ruiz said at the NFL combine in Indianapolis. “It gives me a good idea of where I stand, but I try to stay away from that and focus on the task at hand.
“Yes, I do [think I’m a first round pick]. Look at the film and the way I dominate people — I’m very confident in myself and that I’m a first rounder.”
Centers are seldom first round picks in the NFL draft, but the fact that Ruiz has the ability to play guard as well — a spot he started five times at as a freshman at Michigan in 2017 — has made him an intriguing prospect to organizations.
“[I think I’ll excel] in the agility and pulling drills, and the drills that involve movement,” he explained. “I can play guard or center, or anywhere a team would want me to play on the interior.
“I’m in charge of the whole show at center — if something goes wrong, I take the heat for it, and also take the shine when things go well.
“I just have a thing for football, and that’s something I think will make me stand out during these interviews. I’m also versatile when it comes to schemes, and I believe I can play in any offense.
“Getting out in space and pulling are my favorite kinds of blocks and are where I excel the most. I’ve been playing center my whole life, though I played some guard as a freshman at Michigan.”
Ruiz came to U-M as the No. 1 center in the country out of high school at IMG Academy, though he didn’t grow up near prep Florida powerhouse.
He spent his childhood in a rough neighborhood called Camden, N.J., an area known for its crime and violence.
“It helped me mature at a young age,” Ruiz explained. “It takes a mature young man to keep your head on straight there.
“I knew it was dangerous, but I never thought anything of it — I just thought that’s how things were, because I had never seen the outside world before.
“It will make or break you, and there were a lot of people it broke. You see things every day and hear about violent shootings and robberies every week.
“You become immune to it as a kid though because you see it so many times. I was fortunate enough to have a mom who was strict, so I was never allowed to be in those areas or get caught up in those situations.”
Ruiz’s father (also named Cesar) passed away when the younger Cesar was just eight years old, after being hit by a vehicle while helping a stranger change a tire.
His passing has unsurprisingly helped shape the former Wolverine into the man he is today.
“This whole experience is dedicated to that tragedy,” Ruiz revealed. “My dad would be mind-blown if he were here to see what I’m doing right now.
“I play for him and he lives through me, and that’s how it’s always going to be. He’d be smiling at me right now the same way I’m smiling at him.
“I know he’d be extremely proud of me. The best memories I have with him are going to the buffet and when he’d take me on long walks around the city.
“I have a lot of good memories with him because him and I were very close.”
Notes
• Michigan’s offensive line play was elevated from a very poor unit in 2017 to an excellent one in 2018 as soon as head coach Jim Harbaugh hired veteran position coach Ed Warinner to lead the unit prior to the 2018 campaign.
“He came in with a different attitude — an aggressive one to make us better,” Ruiz said of his former position coach. “He emphasized technique and for us to do the little things.”
• Ruiz was actually high school teammates with U-M quarterback Shea Patterson at IMG Academy, and has a longer standing relationship with him than most of the other Wolverine players.
“I’ve seen how much he’s matured and how much he’s learned about football during our two years together at Michigan,” the center said.
“It was great watching him excel every year and learn new things. He doesn’t try to get caught up in the media or doesn’t pay attention to the pressure that’s supposedly on him — he just goes out there and plays football.”
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