ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Michigan center Cesar Ruiz was selected by the New Orleans Saints in the first round of the NFL draft.
New Orleans drafted Ruiz with the No. 24 overall pick.
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Ruiz went from the No. 1 center in his high school recruiting class to one of the top centers in the country at Michigan. Now, he is the first center off the board on draft day.
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The Camden, New Jersey, native started all 26 games for Michigan the last two years after appearing in 10 games as a true freshman. He decided to forego his senior season because of a high draft grade.
Ruiz was the No. 1 center and the No. 47 player overall in the 2017 recruiting class out of IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. The four-star recruit chose to join Jim Harbaugh and the Wolverines over offers from basically every major college in the nation.
Ruiz was named to the All-Big Ten second team by the coaches and the All-Big Ten third team by the media last season. In 2018, he was named to the third team by the coaches.