Houston Texans trade up, draft Georgia Tech guard Keylan Rutledge with No. 26 pick in 2026 NFL Draft

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Kirby Lee / Imagn Images Share article1The Athletic has live coverage of the 2026 NFL Draft. The Houston Texans made a trade with the Buffalo Bills to move up two spots in the first round and select Georgia Tech guard Keylan Rutledge with the No. 26 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft on Thursday. In the trade with the Bills, the Texans received the No. 26 pick and a third-rounder (No. 91). The Bills received the No. 28 pick, a third-round selection (No. 69) and a fifth-round pick (No. 167). Rutledge was the fourth-ranked guard in the annual draft guide produced by The Athletic’s Dane Brugler. After playing two seasons at Middle Tennessee, Rutledge transferred to Georgia Tech and became the first Yellow Jackets player since Pro Football Hall of Famer Calvin Johnson to earn first-team All-American honors in back-to-back years. Rutledge started 37 games over his final three seasons. He also took home the 2025 Piccolo Award, given to the ACC’s most courageous player. Rutledge ranked No. 62 in Dane Brugler’s top 300 big board. Here’s what Brugler had to say about him in his annual NFL Draft guide: “Rutledge will have trouble at times protecting his edges, but his aggressive mindset and competitive toughness are the roots of his success. If his medicals are clean, he will compete for immediate playing time at either guard or center (he has been snapping for teams during the pre-draft process).” A solid blocker who will fight for early playing time — if his medicals are clean. This is interesting. Rutledge is a pretty high-floor interior offensive lineman who played guard in college and could be a center in the NFL in the right situation. At 6-4, 318 pounds with good length and quick feet, Rutledge is a good athlete who plays with a nasty streak in the run game. Elite leader. Elite toughness. This might be a bit of a stretch based on medicals, as Rutledge has had some foot trouble in the past – he nearly lost a toe after a car accident in 2023 and wound up playing through the pain anyway. Houston needs interior OL help badly and Rutledge could be a Year 1 starter. Trading up for him? We’ll see how this works out. Grade: B- Offensive line has been a need for the Texans this offseason. They brought in a veteran in free agency in Wyatt Teller, but Houston still needed long-term help in the interior offensive line. Drafting Rutledge attacks that head-on and gives the team someone who could have versatility between guard and center. The Texans have drafted an offensive lineman in the top 100 each year since 2022. The last time they picked an offensive lineman in the first-round was in 2022, when they took guard Kenyon Green out of Texas A&M at No. 15. Green only lasted three years with the team and spent most of the 2025 season on the Baltimore Ravens’ practice squad. The fact that the Texans traded up a few spots to get Rutledge at No. 26 shows how much the team thinks of his potential. Rutledge was No. 62 overall in Brugler’s top-300 rankings. The talent and traits on Rutledge would have projected him to go higher but the medicals were a question mark after a serious car accident in December 2023. The Texans clearly felt comfortable enough with those questions to take a player whose mauler mindset is what every coach looks for in their offensive linemen, particularly along the interior. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms