Dolphins, per report, would’ve taken Saints’ first-round pick Cesar Ruiz
The Miami Dolphins were one of two teams that were eyeing the New Orleans Saints first-round draft pick, Cesar Ruiz, before he was taken at No. 24.
While it may not have seemed like it on April 23, University of Michigan center Cesar Ruiz was a hot commodity. Snagging him with the No. 24, the Saints didn’t let the offensive linemen drop any further.
The Saints had a plan in mind. Not immediately following the draft, but about three weeks after, the team released veteran guard Larry Warford. Owed over eight figures, the Saints saved around $8 million by letting him hit the market.
The team had a plethora of other needs entering the draft with offensive line not being one fans were expecting them to address in the first round.
While none were too pressing as the team has superstar talent at almost every position, the Saints could’ve looked at cornerback, linebacker, or even to deepen their wide receiver corps. Either way, the Saints were bound to get a quality prospect with the pick.
They got one, and they weren’t the only team that was seeking out Ruiz.
Like we wrote yesterday, the Chiefs wanted Ruiz at the No. 32 pick. They opted for a running back. The Dolphins also wanted a piece of Ruiz and were planning to take him in order to protect their earlier draft pick, Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
On a call with donors to the Louisiana-Lafayette Athletic Foundation today, Jeff Ireland said the Saints had “pretty strong intel” that Miami and Kansas City would take Ruiz. They initially looked to trade back but called it off once they learned about other interest.
— Nick Underhill (@nick_underhill) May 13, 2020
Instead of addressing a concern for the Dolphins at offensive line, they went for Noah Igbinoghene, a cornerback from Auburn. That said, the Chiefs were never going to get Ruiz as the Dolphins took Igbinoghene with the 30th pick in the draft.
Both the Chiefs and Dolphins needed the help on the line, and Ruiz was one of the best prospects coming out of college. Thankfully, the Saints were able to get their future star and rebuild what should be one of the team’s strongest units.
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