The Bills agreed to move back two spots, with the Texans coming up to No. 26. Buffalo will collect Nos. 28, 69 and 167 from Houston in exchange for Nos. 26 and 91, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Georgia Tech guard Keylan Rutledge is going to Houston at No. 26. We heard earlier today the Texans had done a lot of work on Rutledge, and he will be part of the AFC South team’s ongoing O-line overhaul.
Houston has struggled along the O-line during C.J. Stroud‘s tenure, and this offseason will bring more changes. The Texans traded seven-year starter Tytus Howard and imported Braden Smith as a right tackle replacement. The team also added longtime Browns starting guard Wyatt Teller. Houston re-signed Ed Ingram, however, creating an interesting situation at guard.
Unless the Texans are prepared to station Teller on the bench to start his tenure, Rutledge would not have a clear place to play. Transferring from Middle Tennessee State in 2024, Rutledge started at right guard throughout his Georgia Tech tenure. A first-team All-Conference USA blocker before his back-to-back All-ACC years, Rutledge cross-trained at center during the Senior Bowl.
That may be relevant, as the easiest path to a starting role may come at center. If Rutledge is to play center, he would be asked to overtake 2025 starter Jake Andrews. Pro Football Focus graded Andrews 27th among centers last season. The team traded Juice Scruggs to the Lions in the David Montgomery swap.
“Where’s he going to play? Who the hell knows,” Texans GM Nick Caserio said after making the pick Thursday. “We’ll figure out who the best five guys are and put the group out there that we think is going to help us the most.”
Rutledge drew praise as the pre-draft process wore on, but he closed 47th on Daniel Jeremiah’s NFL.com big board. That was by far the lowest of any first-rounder selected. Houston has high hopes here. Caserio will hope this first-round guard investment goes better than his other such move, when he made Kenyon Green the first guard selected in the 2022 draft. Green flamed out and was traded in 2025. Rutledge’s rookie contract can run through 2030 via the fifth-year option, and the Texans will hope he can provide long-term stability on a line featuring two 30-something (or soon-to-be 30-something) stopgaps and a second-year LT (Aireontae Ersery).