NY Giants 2020 NFL Draft targets: Cesar Ruiz edition

The NY Giants head into the 2020 NFL Draft with the center position being amongst their greatest overall need. Cesar Ruiz is the consensus top-overall pivot prospect, making him an intriguing possibility for Big Blue.

Throughout this draft process, I haven’t talked much about Cesar Ruiz in terms of him landing with the NY Giants. The main reason for that is me believing that he will be off the board by the time Big Blue picks at #36, and while I still believe that to be the case, he’s still worth evaluating as that is no sure thing due to some late risers amongst the center position.

At just 20-years-old, Ruiz is a bit of a raw prospect but he has plenty of room to grow. With what he’s shown on tape already, he deserves listed amongst the top-three centers and it’s easy to see why so many experts agree that he is, in fact, the best of the bunch.

Ruiz headed into Michigan as the nation’s top center recruit and his play didn’t disappoint in Ann Arbor. After playing a few games at guard in his freshman campaign, Ruiz slid over to his natural position for the next two years and started 13 games each season showing off his durability.

CBS Sports lists him as the top center prospect and the #39th overall prospect, but most expect him to land in the first round as there will undoubtedly be a team needing to upgrade it’s center position late in the round without wanting to miss out on a player like Ruiz.

Due to this, I’ve had my eyes more set on LSU’s Lloyd Cushenberry, as he’s a monster prospect that has a much better shot of being around at #36 than Ruiz does.

He’s got the perfect frame for an NFL center, standing 6’3 and weighing in at 310 pounds with 11” hands. While evaluating his tape, his ability to be a plus pull blocker stood out to me as his biggest strength which is something that would have Saquon Barkley foaming at the mouth.

Erratic center play has been a major reason the NY Giants haven’t been able to build a functional offensive line in 2018 and 2019, with Jon Halapio ranking amongst the handful of worst pivots in the entire NFL. It appears as though he won’t be back with the team in 2020 – at least in a starting capacity – and that’s great news.

The NY Giants going with an offensive tackle in round one, only to follow that up with selecting a center in round two remains their best course of action in my opinion. You never know what can happen on draft day, and should Ruiz slip out of the first round -where most peg him to land – Big Blue should pounce.

Overall grade: B

Chance he lasts until #36: 25%