Now-former Kansas Jayhawks football lineman hopes to extend an NFL Draft streak
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Cruz's strong Combine marks appeared to raise his draft stock.
- KU Pro Day included Cruz, Baynes, Foster and Gorczyca.
- Leipold expects the three senior starters to get draft or free-agent chances.
As next month’s NFL Draft approaches, now-former Kansas Jayhawks offensive lineman Enrique Cruz Jr. is hoping to join the list of KU blockers in the NFL
Under head coach Lance Leipold, KU has had an offensive lineman selected two years in a row. The San Francisco 49ers picked Dominick Puni in the third round of the 2024 draft and the Seattle Seahawks took Bryce Cabeldue in the sixth round last spring.
Logan Brown, another former KU O-lineman, was signed by the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent after the 2024 draft. He was on the Seahawks’ practice squad this past season.
“In the last few years, the majority of our guys have gotten those opportunities either through draft or free-agent opportunities,” Leipold said Wednesday at KU’s annual pro day. ”I think you’ll see all three guys that started this year as seniors get the same thing.”
Cruz was the only KU offensive lineman at the recent NFL Scouting Combine. But he was joined by fellow Jayhawks linemen Kobe Baynes, Bryce Foster and Nolan Gorczyca at Wednesday’s team pro day.
Cruz’s strong performance at the scouting combine seemed to raise his draft stock. He ran a 4.94-second 40-yard dash and had a 35-inch vertical jump.
According to NFL Draft analyst Lance Zierlein, Cruz projects as an “average backup or special-teamer,” and will likely be picked between the fourth and seventh rounds.
Cruz’s performance put him on lot of NFL teams’ radars. He told reporters that he met with nearly every NFL team at the scouting combine and recent American Bowl.
His performance at the combine in Indianapolis was a surprise to everyone — except himself.
“I know I’ve had that in me my whole career,” Cruz said. “I always had it in me. A lot of people were doubting me, and I just live to prove the doubters wrong.”
Being back in Lawrence this week was special for Cruz. He transferred to KU from Syracuse before the 2025 season. Then, after a tough battle during training camp, he won the starting job over Gorczyca.
“He was a big tackle that fit a need and in what we were looking for,” Leipold said. “We were very impressed with him. He was a young man who wasn’t starting at the time he entered the portal. We were looking to really fill the void.
“But as he kind of went through progressing and getting better and better through camp and the way he started playing, really, by the time we hit conference play, we thought that this could be a possibility for him.”
It’s uncertain whether Cruz will be drafted, but that was for another day as he got to see some old friends at Kansas.
“I’ve got a great team behind me and a great support system, so it’s gone real smooth,” he said. “It was great being back in Kansas. You know, the sun shines a little different out here.”
