Guard Cesar Ruiz was surprised to be drafted by New Orleans Saints

"I wasn't expecting the Saints to pick me, so that was another thing that added another level of shock factor"

Cesar Ruiz says he blacked out.

There are parts of the night of April 23, 2020, that he can remember before and after the call but when the call came, he pretty much lost it.

"I was crying so hard that that's really all I can remember," Ruiz said recently. "All I remember was hearing, 'Congratulations, we're taking you with this pick,' and I just remember having all my family, friends – all my loved ones there."

The New Orleans Saints were on the other end of the call, notifying the University of Michigan standout that he was their first-round pick in the NFL Draft, No. 24 overall.

The magnitude of the moment caught him off guard, even though he was expecting a first-round call.

"It was one of those things where it was like, I'm going in the first round and I'm going to be a first-round pick," Ruiz said. "You hear it, right, and it's like, it sounds cool. It's kind of like being a five-star in high school. 'Oh, I'm a five-star.'

"It's cool, but it's not really too much to it. It's like, let's see where this takes me. But it was definitely crazy because I wasn't expecting the Saints to pick me, either, so that was another thing that added another level of shock factor to the whole situation."

There was sound reasoning for Ruiz's disbelief.

First, he didn't speak to the Saints other than at the NFL Combine. The Covid pandemic eliminated face-to-face meetings, so there would be no visit to the facility or attendance on pro day.

Second, New Orleans had an outstanding player (Erik McCoy) occupying the position (center) that Ruiz played.

"I had a workout scheduled with the Saints but it was canceled because of Covid," Ruiz said. "I didn't have any visits; everything was on Zoom.

"I didn't do an interview with the Saints on Zoom, it was just at the Combine. And then when I got that call, that's really why I was so shocked because that whole process – it was Covid, I was talking to pretty much every other team – and it was just all inside."

Sprinkle in a hefty dose of emotion, too.

Ruiz lost his father at the age of 8; Cesar Edwin Ruiz was killed when he was struck by a motorist while helping a driver change tires.

"You go through losing a parent and going through so much in your life, and to be able to overcome all those things and reach that goal you've been working toward your whole life, is something that a lot of kids don't get to do," Ruiz said. "A lot of people have those dreams and it's a very, very, very slim amount that get to do it. It felt like a movie. It was like, 'Wow, this is real, this is happening right now.'"

What did not happen was Ruiz receiving the congratulatory dap-up and bro hug from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell; because of Covid there was no in-person draft in 2020 so Ruiz stayed home with his family in Mount Laurel, N.J.

"I know I got the invite in the mail to go to Las Vegas, I remember it was supposed to be a big deal," he said or the original plans for the 2020 draft before Covid shut down the country in March. "We were supposed to be on a boat after we got picked.

"But at the same time, I didn't think I was going to be there. I don't think I would have wanted to be there anyway, I would have spent a bunch of time with my family and enjoyed that moment with my loved ones. I think I would have still done what I did, but just with more people, of course.

"The NFL sent us the entire video kit to film our draft reactions. It was an iPhone, a tripod, a microphone. But it all worked out, though. It was definitely a fun time – not Covid, the draft day."

The position change, too, has worked out for Ruiz. He was pressed into duty at center for McCoy when McCoy was injured in the 2021 season opener and started the next four games at center. But he exclusively has been the Saints' right guard otherwise, with 65 starts and 71 games at the position in five seasons.

"My rookie year I had to come in and play a new position I had never played before so there was a lot of learning, a lot of growing that I had to do," he said. "I'm so grateful for that process, though.

"I'm so grateful to be able to have experienced that, because it helped me overall as a player and as a man – trying new things and learning new things and trying to master something new. I'm super grateful for that. I look back and at that moment and I look back at that decision, I wouldn't want it any other way."

That, he said, would be his advice to this year's rookie class: Concentrate on your profession but be open-minded and willing to accept new challenges.

"Focus on ball. You're going to have a lot of time on your hands, so figure out what you want to do with your life," he said. "It's a good time to figure out who you are outside of football.

"And when you get into the building, it's not college. The work and preparation is going to ramp up, times 10. So, enjoy it – enjoy the process and enjoy becoming a professional."