Keylan
Rutledge.
Keylan
Rutledge.
Georgia Tech· 6'4"· 316 lb· 5.05s 40
"Nasty, movement-first right guard who lived in defenders' laps at Georgia Tech and stress-tested a first-round grade with an elite Senior Bowl week and 91st-percentile Combine testing."Pre-draft read
Keylan Rutledge plays right guard and specializes in finishing blocks, playing through the whistle to bury defenders rather than settling for stalemates. He fires out of a two-point stance with quick steps, hitting landmarks on zone and pin-and-pull looks. His climb to linebackers is enabled by loose hips and controlled speed for his 316-pound frame.
His hands are heavy and independent, delivering a short, punishing punch on down-blocks and re-fitting on pass sets when defenders try to swipe. In pass protection, he shows a wide, patient base against interior power and mirrors quicker three-techniques by pedaling with his eyes. Occasional oversets occur when a rusher wins the timing of the snap, but his recovery quickness is unusual.
This prospect fits best in an outside zone or inside zone-heavy run scheme that prioritizes athletic offensive linemen capable of reaching the second level and sustaining blocks.
He projects as a Year 1 plug-and-play starting right guard with All-Pro ceiling due to his elite movement skills and finishing mentality.
He would be a poor fit in a true power gap scheme that primarily relies on brute strength and static blocks without much movement.
Rutledge's exceptional athleticism and finishing drive make him a highly coveted guard prospect for any zone-blocking scheme.
Keylan Rutledge All-22 Highlights
All-22 cutup breaking down Rutledge's finish, second-level climb and pass-set mechanics at Georgia Tech.
Keylan Rutledge Is TOUGH AS NAILS!
Post-draft feature highlighting his physical finishing traits and Senior Bowl performance.
Keylan Rutledge Combine Breakdown
Combine-week film and interview breakdown covering his athletic testing and self-comp to Quenton Nelson.
Rutledge projects as a plug-and-play zone-scheme right guard with All-Pro upside. Teams are acquiring a player whose combine performance, including a 5.05 40-yard dash, confirmed an elite athletic profile for the position, complementing his demonstrated on-field finishing ability and movement skills.
A four-year starter at right guard, including his final two seasons at Georgia Tech following a transfer, Rutledge was a constant on the interior. He earned third-team Associated Press All-American honors in 2025, consistently demonstrating his ability to execute various run-blocking schemes and provide solid pass protection. His 46 career starts provide a significant track record of durability and on-field experience.
Evaluators consistently placed him in the second round before the pre-draft process, with his Senior Bowl performance and athletic testing pushing his stock into the back half of the first round. The primary flag was a lack of true tackle-flex length, suggesting he is exclusively a guard. He was ultimately drafted in the first round, 26th overall, by the Houston Texans.
- 01
Elite Senior Bowl week
anchored one-on-ones against Power-4 tackles for three straight days and graded as the top interior lineman in Mobile per multiple team scouts.
- 02
Verified athletic profile
5.05 forty, 32 1/2-inch vertical and 104-inch broad jump all landed at the 90th percentile or better for the guard position at the 2026 Combine.
- 03
Finisher DNA
hunts the whistle, drives feet through contact and consistently drops defenders on down-blocks and second-level climbs against Louisville, Miami and Duke.
- 04
Movement skill for a mauler
climbs to linebackers with the balance and body control of a 300-pound zone lineman, cleanly executing pin-and-pull and reach blocks in space.
- 05
Hand technique
delivers an independent, timed punch and re-fits on pass sets, avoiding the wide-open chest that gets guards beat by inside counters at the next level.
- 01
Anchor vs elite power
occasional stalemates against 320-pound bull rushers show he can be walked to the pocket when he plays too tall out of his stance.
- 02
No tackle flex
33 1/4-inch arms and short-area style project as a guard-only piece with no realistic path to emergency tackle snaps on Sundays.
- 03
Timing on oversets
quicker three-techniques can win the timing of the snap and force him to open his hips wider than he wants against inside counters.
- 04
Right-side-only college experience
every college snap came at right guard, so the transition to left guard or an unbalanced protection package is a projection question.
— — — positional median (p50)
- 40 yd
- 5.05sp50
- Vertical
- 32.5inp50
- Broad jump
- 104inp50
- Three-cone
- —s
- Shuttle
- —s
- Bench
- —rep
| Yr | Team | G |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Middle Tennessee | 1 |
| 2022 | Middle Tennessee State | 11 |
| 2023 | Middle Tennessee State | 11 |
| 2024 | Georgia Tech | 13 |
| 2025 | Georgia Tech | 13 |
| Career | — | 49 |
Merged from verified season/game stat tables; Sports-Reference remains the preferred source when reachable.
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
Sturdy, movement-first interior starter who wins with balance, hand timing and clean second-level climbs rather than raw power.
Zone-scheme right guard whose finish and movement skill translated into multiple Pro Bowl seasons and All-Pro nods.
Reliable, scheme-versatile guard who settles as an above-average NFL starter without breaking into Pro Bowl territory.