Texans Trade Up for Relentless OL Keylan Rutledge

0:00On April 24th, the Houston Texans kicked off the 2026 NFL draft by trading up two spots to the 26 pick with the Buffalo Bills. Snagging Georgia Tech Offensive Lyman, Keelan Rutledge as their first election, they sent their 28th pick plus their 69th in Round 3 and 167th in Round 5 to Buffalo in Return 4, 26 and an extra third rounder at 91. GM, Nikisario, called it a minor shuffle, basically costing just a fifth rounder to lock in their guy before anyone else jumped. Fans and analysts had Rutledge pegged for late first round or top of day two, but Houston couldn't risk waiting at 28. They zeroed in on his relentless grit and trench mentality. The exact vibe they're building across their revamped roster, especially up front. This move bulks up and offensive line they've been beefing up all season, pairing perfectly with their culture of toughness that doesn't come around. Often, Rutledge might slide to left guard or center, since right guard is locked with Ed Ingram's 12 million a year deal over three seasons.

1:06The front office and line coach Cole Popovich are pumped to mold him early, confident the rest will click in time. That wraps NFL News Today brought to you with AI. I'm Cory with the story.