Cesar Ruiz reveals jersey number with Saints
The New Orleans Saints selected Michigan's Cesar Ruiz with their 24th overall pick on the first night of the NFL draft. The move has become increasingly popular, as it fits a clear need New Orleans has. Let's also not forget that Sean Payton revealed that the team didn't draft Ruiz to be a backup, as he's expected to compete for a starting role.
Ruiz feels confident in doing anything that's asked of him, especially playing any position on the interior line for the Saints offense. Michigan's offensive line coach Ed Warinner echoed that thought, saying that there's nothing that Ruiz can't do. With the Wolverines, Ruiz was the guy who called out all of the coverages and pre-snap reads for the past two years. His overall intelligence is what stood out to the Saints at the NFL combine when they met with him.
"I've played in so many different offenses, and I see the Saints play. It's a versatile offense, and I'm a versatile player. So, I'll fit perfectly," Ruiz said on Thursday night after being drafted.
Cesar Ruiz has never been to New Orleans, but has felt plenty of love from Saints fans since being drafted. He announced on Monday through his personal Twitter that he'll be keeping his college number, and it's one that fans are extremely familiar with.
Ruiz will be wearing No. 51 for the black and gold, which was most notably the choice of great Saints players Sam Mills (1986-1994) and Jonathan Vilma (2008-2013). Most recently, Manti Te'o has worn the number. With the Saints not having a spring offseason program, it was crucial for them to draft players that checked a ton of their boxes, and self-discipline is going to be important for everyone over the next few months. Hopefully in August, we're back to normal around the country and can see how Ruiz and the other new players look in Saints training camp.
