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When Cesar Ruiz was selected by the New Orleans Saints in the first round of the 2020 NFL draft, he, like many fans, were stunned.
Heading into the draft, there was an expectation the Saints would target a linebacker in the first round, specifically Kenneth Murray Jr. or Patrick Queen. Murray was off the board, but Queen was still available. That was one layer of surprise.
The biggest cause of surprise was the Saints still just drafted Erik McCoy the year prior, and he became a Day 1 starter at center. Larry Warford and Andrus Peat were coming off Pro Bowl seasons at guard.
The interior offensive line was set, so drafting Ruiz, a career center with experience at guard, didn’t make sense. That was until the Saints released Warford a couple weeks later. McCoy and Ruiz battled in training camp for the starting center position with the understanding whoever lost that battle would go to guard.
Ruiz was stunned with the pick, because he had limited contact with the Saints before the draft.
"I didn't do an interview with the Saints on Zoom, it was just at the Combine. And then when I got that call, that's really why I was so shocked because that whole process – it was Covid, I was talking to pretty much every other team,” Ruiz said.
We’ve heard stories like this before. A team drafts a player they barely talked to. It’s often just so other teams can’t get a read on the draft plan. The Saints kept their interests close to the vest. It was a decision that didn’t make much sense on the surface, but their plan became clearer as time went on.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: 2020 NFL draft pick was stunned when he got the call from the Saints
Continue reading...
Heading into the draft, there was an expectation the Saints would target a linebacker in the first round, specifically Kenneth Murray Jr. or Patrick Queen. Murray was off the board, but Queen was still available. That was one layer of surprise.
The biggest cause of surprise was the Saints still just drafted Erik McCoy the year prior, and he became a Day 1 starter at center. Larry Warford and Andrus Peat were coming off Pro Bowl seasons at guard.
The interior offensive line was set, so drafting Ruiz, a career center with experience at guard, didn’t make sense. That was until the Saints released Warford a couple weeks later. McCoy and Ruiz battled in training camp for the starting center position with the understanding whoever lost that battle would go to guard.
Ruiz was stunned with the pick, because he had limited contact with the Saints before the draft.
"I didn't do an interview with the Saints on Zoom, it was just at the Combine. And then when I got that call, that's really why I was so shocked because that whole process – it was Covid, I was talking to pretty much every other team,” Ruiz said.
We’ve heard stories like this before. A team drafts a player they barely talked to. It’s often just so other teams can’t get a read on the draft plan. The Saints kept their interests close to the vest. It was a decision that didn’t make much sense on the surface, but their plan became clearer as time went on.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: 2020 NFL draft pick was stunned when he got the call from the Saints
Continue reading...
