Trade for Keylan Rutledge Starts Important Draft for the Houston Texans
It cost a little but the Texans got a future starter at...well...who knows?
The Houston Texans traded up two spots in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft to select offensive lineman Keylan Rutledge with the 26th overall pick. Rutledge was a two-year starter at right guard for Georgia Tech after beginning his college career at Middle Tennessee.
“The makeup on this guy is elite,” general manager Nick Caserio said. “A couple of the metrics that we have when we grade players, in four or five categories, there was one player in the draft that our scouts graded the way that they did, and it was him. That was, we didn’t talk to him at the combine because we didn’t need to. We might have even interviewed him at the Senior Bowl, but we didn’t need to.”
Rutledge said his goal is to be tough, relentless, and “punch people in the face” as an offensive lineman.
Rutledge is a career right guard who has been working to add the ability to play center to his game. He worked out at center during the Senior Bowl practices this year. Rutledge was one of the standouts at the All-Star Game, especially on day one. Houston Texans offensive line coach Cole Popovich observed day one of the practices in person. Rutledge was asked to tone down some of his aggressiveness in the drills. Numerous linemen took offense to his physicality.
He said, “I’m so comfortable” at center because his college coach, Georgia Tech head coach Brent Key, said he expected Rutledge would be asked to play all the inside line positions. Rutledge served at the team’s emergency center.
Caserio stopped short of putting a position next to Rutledge’s name.
“We’ll see how it goes,” he said. “Where is he going to play? We’ll see. Nobody knows. We’ll figure that out as we go.”
He didn’t rule out time at center for the newest Texan.
“If a guy can put his hand on the ball, then okay, what does that look like, then the communication that’s involved with it,” he said. “Again, when a player walks in the building, we’ll put things on his plate, see what they can handle and see how quickly they can adapt and adjust to what we’re asking them to do.”
The Texans traded up two spots in the first round. It wasn’t a cheap move. Houston dropped 22 spots in the third round and sent a fifth-rounder over to the Bills. Buffalo made out like bandits. The original spot, 28th overall, might have been a little rich for the selection. The San Francisco 49ers moved back from the 27th pick after the Texans moved up. It’s possible the 49ers were interested in Rutledge.
It’s worth wondering whether last year’s draft results, in which numerous offensive linemen came off the board before the Texans were on the clock, played a role in Caserio’s aggressiveness.
Rutledge will have a hard time justifying his draft slot if he isn’t competing at center.
