Keylan Rutledge
Career Summary
Keylan Rutledge is a Georgia offensive lineman who played at Middle Tennessee and Georgia Tech before the Houston Texans selected him in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
Rutledge established himself as an all-conference lineman at Middle Tennessee and then earned consecutive first-team All-America recognition at Georgia Tech. Houston selected him 26th overall in 2026.
Section reviewed
Sources for this section
Early Life
Rutledge is from Royston, Georgia.
He attended Franklin County High School before starting his college career at Middle Tennessee.
Section reviewed
Sources for this section
High School
Rutledge was a multi-sport standout at Franklin County High School.
He lettered in football, basketball and track, earned Region 8-AAA first-team honors as a tight end, and was an all-state performer in basketball and track. He won a state shot-put title with a throw of 53 feet, 4 inches.
Section reviewed
Sources for this section
College Career
Rutledge played two seasons at Middle Tennessee and two at Georgia Tech.
At Middle Tennessee, he appeared in 22 games with 17 starts, earned Conference USA All-Freshman recognition in 2022 and first-team All-Conference USA honors in 2023. At Georgia Tech, he started all 26 games at right guard across 2024 and 2025.
Section reviewed
Sources for this section
Path to the NFL
Rutledge's consecutive All-America seasons at Georgia Tech led to first-round selection in 2026.
The Houston Texans traded up two spots to select Rutledge with the 26th overall pick, making him Georgia Tech's first first-round pick in 16 years.
Section reviewed
Sources for this section
NFL Career
The Houston Texans selected Rutledge with the 26th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Houston chose the Georgia Tech guard in the first round after trading up two spots. NFL.com later listed his rookie contract as signed on June 4, 2026.
Section reviewed
Sources for this section
Career Accomplishments
Rutledge earned extensive conference and national honors during his college career.
He was a first-team All-American in 2024 and again in 2025, when he was also first-team All-ACC and received the ACC Piccolo Award. Earlier, he was named Conference USA All-Freshman in 2022 and first-team All-Conference USA in 2023.
Section reviewed
Sources for this section
Playing Style
Rutledge was a durable right guard known for high-level run and pass protection at Georgia Tech.
In 2025, he started all 13 games, did not allow a sack and surrendered six quarterback hurries over 872 snaps according to Pro Football Focus. Georgia Tech credited him with helping an offense rank among the national leaders in rushing and fewest sacks allowed.
Section reviewed
Sources for this section
32489, 00-0041532, 9/2/2003, Keylan Rutledge, Keylan, Rutledge
MFT PLAYER RANKINGS
Current player ranking
MFT Score: 0.0
2026 preseason baseline. Position-relative and updated through the site’s weekly review process.