New York Giants offensive line
The 2020 NFL Draft will undoubtedly go down in history as one of the oddest drafts in league history, as the NFL is gearing up for a fully virtual draft day experience. Yet, draft day is far from the only thing that has changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic when it comes to draft season.
Pro days have been canceled across the country, while NFL teams are unable to hold in-person prospect meetings. However, that hasn’t stopped organizations from doing their due diligence on prospects as potential fits with their team.
The New York Giants are no different, as they are set to hold an upcoming virtual meeting with arguably the draft’s top interior lineman prospect.
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Giants Meeting With Michigan’s Cesar Ruiz
Cesar Ruiz is an intriguing 6-foot-3-inch, 307-pound center prospect from the University of Michigan whose versatility and athleticism make him a seamless plug-and-play fit for numerous NFL franchises.
One of those potential fits could be with the New York Football Giants, who according to Jordan Reid of The Draft Network, are planning a virtual meeting with the stud center via FaceTime in the coming days.
Ruiz is currently projected as a late first-round, early to mid-round two prospect, with a great chance of being the first interior offensive lineman off the board.
Ruiz is a Perfect Fit in NY
Ruiz, a Camden, NJ native, clearly won’t be in play for the Giants at the fourth-overall pick. However were he to still be available come the Giants’ second-round pick, number 36 overall, one would have to believe that New York would think long and hard about adding him as a staple to their offensive line.
While the Giants signed Cameron Fleming as a potential fit to fill the team’s start right tackle void, New York still has a glaring hole at center. Jon Halapio, who has spent the past three seasons with the Giants, including starting 15 games at center for the team in 2019, is currently working his way back from an Achilles tear and remains unsigned at the moment. There’s always a chance the team could entertain the thought of bringing Halapio back once he returns to full health, but that remains uncertain at this time.
Currently, the Giants have two centers under contract, Spencer Pulley and Tanner Volson. Pulley has started 10 games for New York over the past two seasons as well as starting all 16 games for the Chargers back in 2017. Volson was signed to the Giants’ practice squad in December of last season and has yet to appear in an NFL game.
He did, however, excel during his college days at North Dakota State, where his 78.6 offensive grade and 81.2 pass-block grade in 2018 both ranked within the top-three of FBS centers according to Pro Football Focus.