Getty Cowboys owner/GM Jerry Jones
It’s anyone’s guess as to who the Dallas Cowboys end up selecting in the first round of the 2020 NFL draft, slated to kick off Thursday night.
However, there’s one name we can safely cross off the big board: Cesar Ruiz.
Possibly after briefing sources close to the situation, ESPN.com’s Todd Archer tweeted Thursday morning he’s “positive” Dallas will not draft the Michigan interior offensive lineman with the No. 17 overall pick or in a first-round trade-down scenario.
The replacement for now-retired pivot man Travis Frederick, explained Archer, is already on the roster.
“They believe in Joe Looney, Connor McGovern, Connor Williams as the Travis Frederick replacements,” he wrote in a series of follow-up tweets. “McGovern did not play as a rookie last year because of a torn pectoral muscle. They took him in the third round and he had a higher draft grade than their second rounder, Trysten Hill. He played center at Penn St. and Frederick’s future played a part in decision to draft him.”
“Looney started every game in 2018 when the Cowboys made the playoffs,” Archer wrote. “Dak Prescott was sacked a ton that year, but pinning all or most of that on Looney is not right. He is a solid player who would start on a lot of teams in the league.”
“At some point the Cowboys have to win games without first rounders at almost every spot on the OL,” he wrote. “It is possible. Ruiz might be a fine player, but the Cowboys don’t need to put another high-end asset into the line when factoring in who they have already and cap going forward.”
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Why Ruiz
Arguably the second-best C among the incoming class, he’s an athletically sound, versatile blocker capable of manning multiple spots across the trenches. He started five games at right guard for the 2017 Wolverines as a true freshman and all 13 games at the pivot over the past two seasons, earning second-team All-Big Ten honors in 2019.
Well-built at 6-foot-3, 307 pounds with 33 1/8-inch arms, Ruiz put up 28 bench press reps during February’s Scouting Combine and established himself as a projected starter at the next level.
The Cowboys have been increasingly linked to Ruiz following Frederick’s retirement and NFL reporter Peter King’s hearsay that they “love” him as a Round 1 prospect.
“’It’s too high for a center, but they love the Michigan center (Cesar Ruiz), and they could trade down a few spots and still be sure of getting him,’” King reported earlier this month. “Interesting: a plug-and-play heir to Travis Frederick.”
It’s a weird spot, as 17 is too early to take Ruiz, yet he likely won’t last until the Cowboys’ second-round pick (No. 51). An ideal scenario, as King laid out, involves the club dropping down into the mid-20s, netting additional capital, and grabbing Ruiz at a better value.
But as Archer understands, this is no longer an option, if it ever was.
Why Not Ruiz
The Cowboys have holes scattered throughout the squad, on both sides of the ball. Throw a dart at the draft board and you’ll land a player who will aid Big D. Offensive line help. A slot wide receiver. Tight end depth. Defensive line depth. Secondary reinforcements. You name it.
If owner/general manager Jerry Jones stays put Thursday night, he’s thinking long and hard about nabbing a cornerback, safety, or edge rusher. Don’t take my word for it — the prediction comes straight from the mouth of Jones’ son, the team’s executive vice president, Stephen Jones.
“At the end of the day, you want to have a little bit of both,” Jones said Tuesday in a pre-draft conference call with reporters, via 105.3 The Fan. “I will say there are some analytical studies out there (that say) more resources should go to the corner and then to the pass rusher. Personally, I think it’s a flip of the coin. You gotta have good, solid cover guys and you gotta be able to get pressure on the passer. Obviously, we paid one of the best in the business, DeMarcus Lawrence, who had another great year last year. Of course, we’re trying to take some risk here and have some guys who’ve done it well before in Aldon Smith and Randy Gregory. And, then, of course, we’ll look in the draft. The same holds true for the coverage guys. Obviously, you’re hitting in a spot … we’re going to be looking at the back-end and the front-end on defense.”
This doesn’t mean Ruiz won’t become a Cowboy, however. It’s certainly plausible he slips to the second round, and it’s certainly plausible Jones feels more comfortable burning capital for him then, as opposed to reaching in the first.
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Follow Zack Kelberman on Twitter: @KelbermanNFL