Cesar Ruiz

New Orleans Saints

Pos RG

Updated October 9, 2026

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Model Score

88.3 MODEL

2020

69.8

2021

77.1

2022

81.1

2023

81.9

2024

89.0

2025

78.2

2026

88.3

How good he is at what he is supposed to be doing, out of 100. Not a projection of what he will do next, and not a read on his contract. Median is about 70, and a 95 is rare. How it is built →

STM Take

Tier 2 (#13) peak in 2024 to tier 7 (#49) in 2025 is a 36-spot regression in one year that flags injury, scheme shift, or structural collapse needing root-cause analysis. The Michigan technical foundation plus the 24th overall draft slot plus the 2024 peak proves a top-15 ceiling exists. The 2026 question is whether Ruiz returns to tier 3-4 territory or whether the 2025 tier 7 finish is the new baseline that creates contract-value risk for the Saints.

Ruiz came out of Michigan as the New Orleans Saints' 1st-round pick (24th overall) in 2020 as a projected center who the Saints moved to right guard alongside Erik McCoy at center. He signed a four-year, $44M extension with the Saints in 2023. His STTM career runs tier 8 (#66) rookie, tier 3 (#23) in 2022 breakout, tier 5 (#38) in 2023, tier 2 (#13) peak in 2024, then tier 7 (#49) collapse in 2025.

Strengths

2024 tier 2 (#13) peak as a 24th overall pick confirms a top-15 guard ceiling exists when the surrounding line is healthy.
Michigan technical foundation plus six years of NFL starter reps at guard give him the developmental profile to recapture the elite ceiling.

Concerns

36-spot regression from tier 2 (#13) in 2024 to tier 7 (#49) in 2025 flags injury, scheme shift, or one-year context spike needing explanation.
$44M extension implies a tier 2-3 ceiling that the 2025 collapse puts at risk, creating contract-value pressure for New Orleans.

What to watch: Whether Ruiz returns to tier 4 or better in 2026 with the Saints' McCoy-Fortner interior healthy, or whether the 2025 tier 7 finish becomes the new baseline.