Texans Sign 1st-Rounder Keylan Rutledge
The Texans have signed first-round guard Keylan Rutledge to his four-year rookie contract. As the 26th overall pick, the former Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket will receive a fully guaranteed deal worth $19.28MM.
The Texans entered the draft holding the 28th selection, but general manager Nick Caserio traded up two spots with the Bills to reel in Rutledge. While Rutledge did not look like a first-round lock going into the draft, at least one other team eyed him in the top 32. Tennessee, one of Houston’s AFC South rivals, tried to jump ahead of the Texans to take Rutledge. Meanwhile, an executive from an NFC team told Jeremy Fowler of ESPN that Rutledge, not Vega Ioane, was the best guard in this year’s class. Ioane went 14th overall to the Ravens.
Rutledge spent his first two college seasons at Middle Tennessee State, where he was the primary starter at right guard. After transferring to Georgia Tech in 2024, he remained at the position and served as a full-time starter. Rutledge became the Yellow Jackets’ first player since legendary wide receiver Calvin Johnson to earn first-team All-ACC honors in two straight seasons (h/t: Dane Brugler of The Athletic). The 6-foot-3, 316-pounder was also a first-team All-American in 2025. Caserio sees Rutledge as a perfect fit for his club.
“The things that stand out about him, toughness, violence, physicality, his playing style, his intelligence,” Caserio said (via Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2). “Basically, the guy wants to step on your throat on every play, which I would say sort of embodies what our football team is about, the way we play.”
While Houston expects Rutledge to emerge as a long-term starter, it may not be at his typical position. The Texans have a pair of pricey veteran guard starters in the extended Ed Ingram and free agent addition Wyatt Teller. With those two in the fold, Rutledge could battle Jake Andrews for the starting center job, according to Wilson. Rutledge lined up at center at the Senior Bowl and has also gotten first-team work there in practices with the Texans.
The Rutledge signing brings the Texans one step closer to getting all of their draft picks under contract. Fourth-round guard Febechi Nwaiwu is the lone member of their eight-player class who remains unsigned.
Latest On Texans OL Keylan Rutledge; Team Explored Trade Back Into Round 1 For DT Kayden McDonald
With their first selection (No. 26 overall) in the 2026 draft, the Texans added Georgia Tech guard Keylan Rutledge, who was seen as a reach in certain circles. NFL.com draft guru Daniel Jeremiah had Rutledge as the 47th-ranked player on his board, and we recently heard some members of the Seahawks’ front office graded Seattle fifth-round pick Beau Stephens more highly than Rutledge.
Still, the division-rival Titans were prepared to make Rutledge a first-round choice as well, and one NFC executive told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler that the former Yellow Jacket was the top guard in the class (ahead of even Vega Ioane, who went to the Ravens at No. 14 overall). Fowler – who reported prior to the draft that Houston had done a great deal of work on Rutledge – says Texans brass “identified him as a favorite.”
General manager Nick Caserio’s other offseason moves (which included signing longtime Browns guard Wyatt Teller and re-signing 2025 RG1 Ed Ingram) make it unclear exactly where Rutledge will line up as a rookie or if he will begin his pro career as a reserve. If a guard spot is not an option, he could compete with Jake Andrews for the starting center job.
Just as Caserio traded up several spots in the first round to secure the opportunity to select Rutledge, he did the same in the second round to grab Ohio State defensive tackle Kayden McDonald at No. 36. Caserio swung a deal with the Raiders to move up from No. 38, but as Fowler reports, the Texans GM was prepared to go as high as No. 33 and even explored a trade back into the first round after selecting Rutledge.
That underscores the Texans’ belief in McDonald, who should find a notable role in the club’s DT rotation alongside returnees Sheldon Rankins and Tommy Togiai. Houston, which boasted perhaps the best defense in the league in 2025, lost Tim Settle to free agency, thereby opening an immediate vacancy for McDonald.
Consistent with a report made by NFL insider Jordan Schultz when the Texans turned in the card for McDonald, Fowler says there was some belief the Giants – who had traded DT Dexter Lawrence before the draft and who held the No. 37 choice – may be a threat for the Ohio State alum. Perhaps out of fear of losing one of his top targets to another team, Caserio made sure to leapfrog Big Blue, though a New York source told Fowler that CB Colton Hood was the player they wanted all along.
Seahawks Were Wary Of 49ers’ Interest In RB Jadarian Price; Seattle Remains Open To Signing Dante Fowler
The Seahawks filled a major need in this year’s draft when they selected Notre Dame RB Jadarian Price with the last pick (No. 32 overall) of Day 1. Although they reportedly attempted to trade out of the first round — and, per ESPN’s Brady Henderson, the Titans (No. 35) and Giants (No. 37) were among the potential trade partners — the ‘Hawks felt comfortable selecting Price for a number of reasons (aside from his obvious talent as a runner and relatively low odometer reading).
As Henderson relays, Price’s character and willingness to eschew more lucrative NIL deals to remain with the Fighting Irish as Jeremiyah Love‘s backup — which Price says he did as a challenge to himself to earn a notable workload alongside Love, whom he called the best player in college football — contributed to GM John Schneider‘s decision to pull the trigger with his first-round selection.
Plus, Schneider was concerned the division-rival 49ers would nab Price at No. 33, and given the perceived gap between Price and the next tier of RBs in this year’s draft class, that would have been a bitter pill to swallow (Henderson says Schneider viewed Washington’s Jonah Coleman and Arkansas’ Mike Washington Jr. as Day 3 options if he was unable to land the former Golden Domer).
The Seahawks’ other realistic first-round target was San Diego State CB Chris Johnson, whom the Dolphins selected at No. 27. Seattle ultimately landed a cornerback prospect when it chose Julian Neal with the No. 99 pick, and it was Neal’s tackling ability that stood out. Riq Woolen, who defected to the Eagles in free agency, was not a sure and willing tackler, and the club hopes Neal will represent an upgrade in that regard and step into Woolen’s CB3 role.
Like Woolen, Dareke Young left the Seahawks in free agency, and Henderson suggests Emmanuel Henderson Jr. the No. 199 pick, could take over for Young on Seattle’s special teams unit thanks to his ability to return and cover kicks. A different wide receiver the ‘Hawks were eyeing for a third phase role, Kentucky’s Kendrick Law, went to the Lions as the 168th pick.
Interestingly, some members of the organization valued fifth-round guard Beau Stephens more highly than Keylan Rutledge, who went to the Texans in the first round. Henderson confirms, as our Connor Byrne recently noted, that Seattle expects Stephens to push Anthony Bradford for the starting right guard spot in 2026.
The board was not as kind to Seattle with respect to pass rushers, as would-be targets like R Mason Thomas, Derrick Moore, and Jaishawn Barham went elsewhere. That leaves the Seahawks without a replacement for Boye Mafe, who signed with the Bengals in March. Dante Fowler, who visited Seattle last month and who remains unsigned, remains one of Schenider’s top options, per Henderson. The ESPN scribe had said in a prior report that Schneider could still sign a pass rusher, whether that’s Fowler or someone else.
Titans Planned On Moving Ahead Of Texans To Draft G Keylan Rutledge
The Texans were originally scheduled to select 28th overall during the opening night of the draft. Houston pulled off a trade with the Bills to move up to move up two spots, however.
After acquiring pick No. 26, the Texans selected guard Keylan Rutledge. The Georgia Tech product will be counted on to play a key role in upgrading the team’s offensive line, a unit which has been the subject of considerable turnover this offseason. Rutledge was a candidate to wind up elsewhere in the AFC South, though.
Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 reports the Titans attempted to trade up in the first-round order and move ahead of Houston in the process. He adds the goal of such a move was to acquire Rutledge. As a result, Texans GM Nick Caserio‘s decision to swing a modest trade proved to be a rather prudent one.
“Moving two spots was more of positioning that anything else,” Caserio confirmed (via Wilson) when speaking after the first round. “We felt like there could potentially be some interest in the player, so we felt like: ‘Alright, let’s move a couple of spots.'”
Rutledge saw his stock rise over the course of the pre-draft process, and it came as little surprise when he was one of several offensive linemen selected during the late stages of the first round. He is among the many new faces Houston will have up front in 2026, a year in which improved play will once again be a key team objective. The Texans will aim to advance past the divisional round of the playoffs, and consistent O-line play will be central to that effort.
The Titans did indeed trade back into the first round despite the Rutledge setback. Tennessee acquired pick No. 31 (also by swinging a trade with the Bills, for that matter) and used it on Auburn defensive end Keldric Faulk. How the team will operate along the interior of the offensive line will be worth watching closely over Day 2 and 3 since the Titans were clearly interested in pursuing a guard addition.
Bills Trade No. 26 To Texans; G Keylan Rutledge Heading To Houston
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).
OL-Heavy First Round Expected
This draft is expected to bring the rare instance of a running back, safety and off-ball linebacker each chosen in the top 10. Beyond the Jeremiyah Love, Caleb Downs and Sonny Styles inclusions, this draft lacks quarterback depth — at least at the top of the prospect pool — and does not feature a surefire top-10 cornerback.
In terms of high-end volume, offensive line may be where this group stands out. Although no blockers are certain to go in the top five, ESPN’s Dan Graziano notes as many as 10 could come off the board in Round 1. Various executives have informed veteran insider Jordan Schultz simulations are seeing nine O-linemen go in the first round.
The Nos. 10-14 spots may be where the run begins, per Schultz, and Graziano names a host of teams as interested parties. The Lions (No. 17), Panthers (No. 19), Steelers (No. 21), Chargers (No. 22), Eagles (No. 23), Browns (Nos. 6, 24), 49ers (No. 27), Chiefs (Nos. 9, 29) and Patriots (No. 31) are among the teams who would “love” to exit Round 1 with an O-lineman added.
Cleveland’s O-line interest has been well documented, and Graziano adds the team wants to leave the first round with a tackle and a receiver. The Browns traded for Tytus Howard to play right tackle but have injury-prone Dawand Jones penciled in at LT; Jones’ place on the depth chart may well change based on a transaction tonight. Detroit has been linked to tackles following Taylor Decker‘s release. Kansas City was loosely tied to Trent Williams, but the longtime San Francisco LT has reached an extension to stay in the Bay Area.
The collection of teams Graziano mentioned would lend to the O-line run beginning in the back half of the first round, and FOX’s Jay Glazer points to seven or eight being off the board by the early 20s. That could influence trade-up moves from teams who view the first round as essential to restocking their front fives.
Francis Mauigoa (Miami), Spencer Fano (Utah), Vega Ioane (Penn State), Monroe Freeling (Georgia), Kadyn Proctor (Alabama) and Blake Miller (Clemson) look like the safest bets to be chosen in Round 1. Mauigoa and Fano have been connected to Cleveland at No. 6, while Ioane-Giants ties have circulated after Ravens connections emerged. Ioane may be viewed as the safest bet among the whole lot, as Glazer adds NFL personnel staffers have him among four players in this class (along with Downs, Love and Fernando Mendoza) as the surest candidates to rise to the Pro Bowl level.
The Chiefs using their No. 9 pick on a blocker would not be surprising, Graziano adds, and it would mean back-to-back years with a first-round lineman chosen. Kansas City has a right tackle vacancy following its Jawaan Taylor release. While Jaylon Moore (two years, $30MM) is an overpriced backup, the ex-49er entered last season behind Taylor and Josh Simmons — the Chiefs’ No. 32 overall pick in 2025.
Caleb Lomu (Utah) and Max Iheanachor (Arizona State) also land in Daniel Jeremiah’s NFL.com top 32. Both were busy on the “30” visit circuit. Although Keylan Rutledge comes in 47th on Jeremiah’s big board — as the next O-lineman listed — ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler adds the Texans have done plenty of work on the Georgia Tech guard. The Texans have been connected to further bolstering their O-line — a recent trouble spot — early in this year’s draft. Houston met with Lomu, Iheanachor and Miller recently, and Proctor visited in March.