A freak athlete masquerading as an offensive lineman, Cruz Jr. turned heads at the combine with a testing profile that ranked among the best guard prospects in history — but the tape doesn't match the testing. He's a fluid mover who flashes easy feet in pass sets and can reach the perimeter on screens like a tight end, but his run-blocking technique is raw and his game film at Kansas was middling (66.4 PFF grade, 82nd among 234 FBS tackles). The projection here is OT-to-guard conversion where his elite movement skills and physicality can be weaponized in a gap scheme, but he'll need significant technique refinement to translate his freakish tools into NFL-caliber play. Classic combine riser with a tantalizing ceiling and a backup-level floor — the kind of swing that Day 3 was built for.

• +Historically elite athletic testing profile: 4.94 40-yard dash, 35-inch vertical, 9'8" broad jump at 313 lbs — 9.99 RAS as a guard prospect, 2nd all-time
• 🛡️Fluid mover with easy feet in pass protection — can mirror and redirect smoothly in his kick slide
• 💥Excellent perimeter athleticism in the screen game, running through space and hitting targets downfield
• 🦬Physical disposition — relishes contact and plays with a nasty edge; self-described love for the physicality of football
• 💥Positional versatility: 900+ snaps at left tackle, 197+ snaps at right tackle, projectable to guard

• 🪵Run-blocking technique is raw and underdeveloped — film shows limited ability to sustain drive blocks and play with consistent pad level
• −Middling PFF grade (66.4) despite starting all 12 games at Kansas suggests the tape didn't match the tools consistently
• −Lost his starting job at Syracuse in 2024 (appeared in only 3 games for 33 snaps), raising questions about consistency and development trajectory
• −Limited high-level production at the college level — Honorable Mention All-Big 12 is the ceiling of his accolades