 Ruiz with the Michigan Wolverines in 2018 | |||||||
| No. 51 – New Orleans Saints | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Guard | ||||||
| Roster status | Active | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born | (1999-06-14)June 14, 1999 (age 26) Camden, New Jersey, U.S. | ||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||
| Listed weight | 316 lb (143 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school | IMG Academy (Bradenton, Florida) | ||||||
| College | Michigan (2017–2019) | ||||||
| NFL draft | 2020: 1st round, 24th overall pick | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
| |||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||
| |||||||
| Career NFL statistics as of 2025 | |||||||
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Cesar André Ruiz (born June 14, 1999) is an American professionalfootballguard for theNew Orleans Saints of theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theMichigan Wolverines, and was selected by the Saints in the first round of the2020 NFL draft.
Ruiz was born to an African-American mother and a father of Puerto Rican & Dominican descent and grew up inCamden, New Jersey. Ruiz's father, Cesar Edwin Ruiz, was killed when he was struck by a motorist while helping a driver change tires when Cesar was eight years old.[1] He attendedCamden High School before transferring toIMG Academy inBradenton, Florida after his sophomore year.[2][3] Ruiz was named an Under Armour All-American as a senior in 2017.[4] Rated a four-star recruit and the top center in his class nationally, Ruiz committed to playcollege football atMichigan over offers fromFlorida,Auburn,LSU, and several other top-level programs.[5][6]
Ruiz played in ten games as a freshman, starting five games at right guard and long snapper with his first career start coming againstMinnesota.[7][8] Ruiz started all 13 of Michigan's games at center as a sophomore and was named third-teamAll-Big Ten Conference by the league's coaches and was an honorable mention selection by the media.[9][10]
Ruiz was named to the Watchlist for the Rimington Trophy going into his junior season.[11] Ruiz started all 13 of Michigan's games at center, allowing only eight total quarterback pressures in 447 snaps and was named the best pass blocking center in college football byPro Football Focus, and was named second-team All-Big Ten by the coaches and third-team by the media.[12][13] Following the end of the season, Ruiz announced that he had decided to forgo his senior season in order to enter the2020 NFL draft.[14] Over three seasons, Ruiz played in 36 games for Michigan with 31 games started.[15]
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | Wonderlic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft2+3⁄4 in (1.90 m) | 307 lb (139 kg) | 33+1⁄8 in (0.84 m) | 11 in (0.28 m) | 5.08 s | 1.77 s | 2.94 s | 4.64 s | 7.91 s | 33.0 in (0.84 m) | 9 ft 5 in (2.87 m) | 28 reps | 21 |
| All values fromNFL Combine[16][17] | ||||||||||||
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Ruiz was selected by theNew Orleans Saints in the first round with the 24th overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft.[18] Ruiz made his NFL debut on September 21, 2020, onMonday Night Football against theLas Vegas Raiders, playing on six snaps at right guard.[19]
In the2021 season opening win against theGreen Bay Packers, Ruiz started the game at right guard, but played center for rest of the game afterErik McCoy suffered a calf injury in the first quarter.[20] He continued being the team's starting center for the next four games until McCoy returned in Week 7 and Ruiz moved back to right guard.
On December 20, 2022, the Saints placed Ruiz on season–endinginjured reserve with a foot injury.[21] The next day, it was revealed that Ruiz had suffered aLisfranc fracture during the team's final offensive possession in Week 15 against theAtlanta Falcons.[22]
On September 9, 2023, Ruiz signed a four-year, $44 million contract extension with the Saints with $30 million guaranteed.[23]
