After the Houston Texans selected Georgia Tech interior offensive lineman Keylan Rutledge at 26th-overall, speculation is already swirling over his exact placement along the offensive line heading into offseason programming.
Seeing as though Houston has already acquired All-Pro guard Wyatt Teller and re-signed breakout right guard Ed Ingram in the offseason, one can now make the case that Rutledge will now be in play to possibly compete for the starting center position alongside incumbent Jake Andrews.
Rutledge's ability to play across all three positions within the interior of the line already makes him a feasible option in the short-term, but his physical style and dominating presence could be the deciding factor at a time where the team is looking to completely change the identity of the unit after last year's debacle's.
NFL Draft Analyst Lance Zierlein said of Rutledge (via his X account),
"The Texans moved up for the most physical, nasty guard in the entire draft in Keylan Rutledge. He will fit into DeMeco Ryans S.W.A.R.M. mentality just fine."
With that said, Andrews may now be the odd-man out if Rutledge were to actually get a shot at starting reps once training camp begins.
Jake Andrews could be replaced by Keylan Rutledge in the near future
Andrews was acquired via the waiver wire from the New England Patriots ahead of the 2025 season, and he proceeded to become the starting center for the entirety of the campaign.
Across 16 starts, Andrews finished as the 26th-highest graded center in the NFL according to PFF (61.6 score, 26/40). He was the 17th-best pass blocker at his position (67.2 score, 17/40), as well as the 31st ranked run blocker (59.5 score, 31/40). He allowed 14 pressures (16/40), six penalties (33/40), three quarterback hits (20/40) and only one sack (12/40). Though it wasn't all his fault, he still contributed to an offensive line that finished the 2025 season as a bottom-three unit in both passing-blocking and run-blocking. That simply won't do.
Rutledge, otherwise known as "Big Red", comes in regarded as one of the top guards in the entire draft. His rugged style, physical play and run-blocking prowess all fit head coach DeMeco Ryans' S.W.A.R.M. mentality that permeates all throughout Reliant Stadium. He also comes in having allowed zero sacks and six quarterback hits last season, while also being a back-to-back First-Team All-American (2024-2025) and a two-time First-Team All-ACC selection.
Rutledge arrives gritty, accomplished and ready to prove that he can be one of the answers within the interior of the offensive line for years to come. If Andrews' performance in year two of offensive coordinator Nick Caley's offense doesn't improve quickly enough, don't be surprised if we see Rutledge sooner than we think.
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