Georgia Tech’s Rutledge Selected in First Round of NFL Draft

THE FLATS – Offensive lineman Keylan Rutledge (Royston, Ga./Franklin County H.S.) became the first Georgia Tech player in 16 years to be selected in the first round of the National Football League Draft when the Houston Texans selected him with the 26^th overall pick on Thursday night.

Houston traded up two spots to make Rutledge the 12^th first-round pick in Georgia Tech history, and the first since defensive end Derrick Morgan (No. 16 overall – Tennessee Titans) and wide receiver Demaryius Thomas (No. 22 overall – Denver Broncos) were first-round picks in 2010.

Known as “Big Red” in the Georgia Tech locker room, the 6-foot-4, 330-pounder is Georgia Tech’s highest-drafted offensive lineman since tackle Kent Hill was selected by the Los Angeles Rams with the 26^th overall pick in 1979 and the Yellow Jackets’ highest-drafted guard since the Rams made Rufus Guthrie the 10^th overall pick in 1963.

However, as testament to head coach Brent Key’s commitment to the development of linemen at Georgia Tech, the Jackets’ last four NFL Draft picks – DL Keion White (second round, 2023), TE Jackson Hawes (fifth round, 2025), DL Zeek Biggers (seventh round, 2025) and Rutledge – all play in the trenches.

Rutledge earned first-team all-America and all-Atlantic Coast Conference honors in each of his two seasons with the Yellow Jackets (2024 and 2025) after transferring to Georgia Tech from Middle Tennessee.

As a senior in 2025, he anchored a Georgia Tech offensive line that paved the way for the Yellow Jackets to rank among the top 25 nationally in rushing offense (21^st – 197.5 ypg) and top five in fewest sacks allowed (third – 0.69 pg). Individually, he did not allow a sack and surrendered just six quarterback hurries in 872 snaps in 2025, according to Pro Football Focus, which ranked him as the nation’s No. 6 guard both overall and as a run-blocker.

"Sometimes you're the windshield, sometimes you're the bug, that is a windshield that they just drafted"@MoveTheSticks loves the fit of Keylan Rutledge in Houston 📈 pic.twitter.com/OjXx4HGcoB

— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) April 24, 2026

He was named all-America by virtually every organization that doles out the honor in 2025, including first-team recognition by Sporting News and Sports Info Solutions.

He was also named the winner of the ACC’s 2025 Brian Piccolo Award, which is presented annually to the conference’s most courageous player. He earned the honor after overcoming very serious injuries sustained in an automobile accident in December 2023, which nearly resulted in amputation of his left foot, to become one of college football’s top offensive linemen.

The call every kid dreams about 🥹@HoustonTexans @Keylan301 #NFLDraft x #StingEm 🐝 pic.twitter.com/TriQ0fb1ae

— Georgia Tech Football (@GeorgiaTechFB) April 24, 2026

An unquestioned leader in the locker room, Rutledge was voted a permanent team captain by his teammates in each of his two seasons with the Yellow Jackets. He graduated from Georgia Tech in December 2025 with a bachelor’s degree in history, technology and society.

Rutledge helped lead Georgia Tech to a 9-4 overall record (tied for the 10^th-most victories in Tech’s 133-season football history) and No. 24 final national ranking. The Jackets rose to as high as No. 7 in the national rankings in ‘25 and were ranked in the final 14 national polls of the season, which is their longest streak since Tech was ranked in all 16 polls in 1999.

Georgia Tech also went 6-2 in Atlantic Coast Conference play in ‘25, which was good for a tie for second place in the 17-team conference. The Yellow Jackets are the only ACC team that has finished in the top four of the conference standings each of the last three seasons.

The 2026 NFL Draft continues with the second and third rounds on Friday (7 p.m.) and continues with the fourth through seventh rounds on Saturday (noon) on NFL Network, ESPN and ABC. Several more Jackets, potentially including WR Eric Rivers, DT Jordan van den Berg and QB Haynes King, are expected to hear their names called over the final two days of the draft.

2026 GEORGIA TECH FOOTBALL SEASON TICKETS

Georgia Tech 2026 football season tickets are available now. The Yellow Jackets’ highly anticipated 2026 home schedule features all seven home games being played at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field, beginning with premium non-conference showdowns versus Colorado (Sept. 3) and Tennessee (Sept. 12), and also including Atlantic Coast Conference battles against defending ACC champion Duke (Oct. 10) and 2025 bowl winners Louisville (Nov. 7) and Wake Forest (Nov. 21).

To become a season ticket member in 2026, click HERE.

To purchase season tickets to be donated to local heroes as part of Georgia Tech’s Military and Heroes Appreciation program, click HERE.

One limited-edition Buzz/Ramblin’ Reck bobblehead will be gifted to each season ticket account.

Full Steam Ahead

Full Steam Ahead is a $500 million fundraising initiative to achieve Georgia Tech athletics’ goal of competing for championships at the highest level in the next era of intercollegiate athletics. The initiative will fund transformative projects for Tech athletics, including renovations of Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field (the historic home of Georgia Tech football), the Zelnak Basketball Center (the practice and training facility for Tech basketball) and O’Keefe Gymnasium (the venerable home of Yellow Jackets volleyball), as well as additional projects and initiatives to further advance Georgia Tech athletics through program wide-operational support. All members of the Georgia Tech community are invited to visit atfund.org/FullSteamAhead for full details and renderings of the renovation projects, as well as to learn about opportunities to contribute online.

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