Following the 2020 NFL Draft, Saints first-round pick Cesar Ruiz’s college position coach touted the offensive lineman’s ability to quickly absorb information regardless of how it was presented to him.
“When you feed him, it all makes sense to him and when you give him things it all registers and he applies them and he does it quickly,” Michigan’s Ed Warinner said.
But as the nation deals with the COVID-19 pandemic, NFL teams haven’t been able to use the traditional teaching methods. With OTAs and minicamps canceled, to help slow the spread of the Coronavirus offseason activities have shifted exclusively to digital platforms.
While Ruiz had “never done virtual learning,” he didn’t mind the challenge.
“During the first day of meetings I was like this should be fun,” Ruiz told WWL Radio’s Zach Strief. “I’m looking at a screen, just trying to keep up with the words. Basically for the first couple days was me just, basically, learning everything and studying. Once we got rolling with the terminology and the plays and assignments and things like that, I got that down pretty good…you know. I've been studying it and I've adapted to learning virtually.”
Saints offensive line coach Dan Roushar said he was “super impressed“ not only with how well Ruiz adapted to virtual learning but also picked up the Saints playbook.
“I think he’s got really good recall, from meeting to meeting to meeting. And that’s one of the things that we challenge him with,” Roushar said. “…There has to be great recall for him. That’s what he’s appeared to do very, very well as we’ve gone through film and gone back and forth.”
Roushar also complimented Ruiz on his maturity in the digital meetings.
“Each and every day that we click on, let’s say the meetings going to start at 9 a.m…, they go through the process and each day he’s there early,” Roushar said. “He has great questions. He does a phenomenal job of wanting to know why and he will ask those questions. The reality is the more he understands the better he’s going to perform.”
While impressed, Roushar said he wasn’t surprised Ruiz has caught on so quickly as that was a trait his Michigan coaches highlighted during the draft process. The offensive line coach is now eager to see Ruiz on the field in training camp where he’s expected to compete to be the Saints starting center or guard.
“We recognize he was a heck of a center the last couple years at Michigan and we recognize his value in that area,” Roushar said. “And I think it’s between Sean’s (Payton) direction and as we see this thing taking shape the ability to make a move with Erik and slide Cesar and or go the other direction with it. Those things will be determined as we come to camp and attack this thing.”
Ruiz said the team hasn’t specified where he’ll be lining up this season but said he’s focused on being prepared for either position
“In meetings, when we go over plays and we iterate calls, you know, I do both,” he said. “I get called on for the guard questions. I get called on for the center questions. So it's pretty much even around both.”