Saints unsurprisingly pass on Cesar Ruiz in redraft of 2020 NFL Draft

The New Orleans Saints surprised fans when they spent their first-round pick on Cesar Ruiz in the 2020 NFL Draft. They wouldn’t fall into that trap again if they were able to redo the 2020 draft. 

When the New Orleans Saints were on the clock with the 24th pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, they made a head-scratching decision with their selection of Cesar Ruiz out of Michigan. Ruiz hasn’t played well in the first two years of his pro career and if New Orleans could do things over again, he wouldn’t be who they go with.

Sayre Bedinger of NFL Spin Zone redrafted the 2020 NFL Draft and had the black and gold going in a much different direction and one that fans would have been happy about.

Saints pass on Cesar Ruiz in redraft of 2020 draft

Instead of going with Ruiz, Bedinger had the Saints addressing the defensive side of the ball with their pick of LSU’s Patrick Queen.

Bedinger wrote:

"The Saints got themselves a starting offensive lineman with this pick in Cesar Ruiz, but a playmaker that can stay on the field all three downs like Patrick Queen might have been the better selection here."

Queen hasn’t been a superstar during his two years in the league but he’d have been a better pick than Ruiz. For one, he played college football in the state of Louisiana, which would have instantly made him a popular pick. Secondly, he’s been an effective tackler, with over 100 tackles as a rookie in 2020 and then just shy of 100 tackles this past season.

While Queen might have been the more popular pick at the time and he could have had a different career had he landed in New Orleans, he hasn’t been a first-round caliber player during his time with the Ravens. This past year, he had a 43.5 PFF grade, which isn’t very good, but again, it could have been different in New Orleans with Dennis Allen’s defense.

Ruiz wouldn’t be the pick if the Saints could go back in time and do things over again but Patrick Queen might not have been a huge upgrade.