Team captain, five-year program lineman, and the definition of earned respect: Cruz worked from three appearances in 2022 to wall-to-wall starter in 2025, starting all 12 games while absorbing a midseason move from guard to center without the operation skipping a beat. That flexibility — real snaps across the interior plus a tackle background — is his NFL argument, because versatile backup interior linemen are a genuine roster species. The leadership profile is unusually strong even by captain standards. However, the athletic ceiling is the constraint: a former three-star (No. 1894 nationally) who wins with preparation and angles rather than power or recovery quickness, with no dominant tape to point at. Priority-free-agent path — teams will value the intelligence, the snap-to-whistle consistency and the ability to back up three spots with one helmet, and that camp-to-roster route is well-worn for exactly this profile.