Philadelphia Eagles: Cesar Ruiz a worthy successor to Jason Kelce
In the deep 2020 NFL Draft, the Philadelphia Eagles would be wise to look at standout center Cesar Ruiz to succeed Jason Kelce.
This is the time of year when seemingly every NFL team will pick every available player in the draft, if you listen to rumors and “experts”. That’s just the way things go, and it’s even more magnified right now with a lack of other things to keep our attention.
But one idea that’s surfaced for the Philadelphia Eagles makes a ton of sense. They should be climbing over teams to select former University of Michigan lineman Cesar Ruiz. He’s widely regarded as the top center in the draft, having also played at all five O-line positions. This makes him even more enticing for a team like the Eagles, one that features strong veterans that a young player would benefit greatly by learning from rather than being thrown to the wolves immediately.
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The idea here, of course, is that Ruiz would replace Jason Kelce at some point. We’re not sure when that will be, as Kelce has made it known that he’s playing on a year-to-year basis. The guy just barely missed being part of the NFL’s All-Decade Team; he’s certainly earned the right. So it’s best to get a young player in now to learn from Kelce so that the Eagles can be as prepared as possible for when Kelce eventually hangs up his cleats.
In the meantime, the talented Ruiz can help reinforce the Eagles’ current line, pushing the starters in front of him because of his versatility. Nobody will ever complain about an offensive line being too deep, and it’s even better when it can be skilled but also cheap in the form of players on rookie deals.
There’s simply no downside to the Eagles drafting Ruiz except for the fact that I know I’d call him “Carlos Ruiz” for basically his entire career out of habit. Maybe we can just call him “Chooch” and move on. He’s also a local kid, hailing from Camden, and we all love these kinds of stories.
You can’t always get the guy you want, however, so the Eagles might have to get creative in order to secure Ruiz. Unfortunately, they are in a bit of a murky area when it comes to their current draft position of 21st overall. That spot would be likely be too high to take Ruiz, especially when you consider that the Eagles went O-line with last year’s Andre Dillard selection. They desperately need to take a skill player like Jerry Jeudy with their top pick, or Carson Wentz might go nuts.
When it comes time for the Eagles’ scheduled pick in the second round at #53, Ruiz will be long gone. And maybe the Cowboys will even beat the Eagles to the punch, as they are in need of a center immediately thanks to the retirement of Travis Frederick. Losing Ruiz to Dallas would be a gut punch. Howie Roseman may need to get work some magic once again to make this happen.
Next. Curtis Samuel could be the next Darren Sproles. dark
It would be a best case scenario if the Eagles could get a top offensive talent with their first pick and then also manage to get Ruiz before someone else snatches him up. Maybe that’s wishful thinking, but these are the only two things we can really do right now as sports fans: wish and think. These two actions converge when it comes to Cesar Ruiz, who would look sharp in Midnight Green.