Keylan Rutledge is an offensive guard and 2026 NFL Draft prospect who finished his collegiate career with the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets after beginning it at Middle Tennessee State. A native of Cleveland, Tennessee, Rutledge attended Bradley Central High School and was rated a three-star recruit before committing to Middle Tennessee State in the 2022 class. At MTSU he started six games as a true freshman in 2022 to earn Conference USA All-Freshman recognition, then started 11 games in 2023, was voted a permanent team captain, and earned First Team All-Conference USA honors. He entered the transfer portal when the MTSU coaching staff changed, and Georgia Tech won out over multiple Power Five offers. That transition nearly did not happen when a severe car accident in December 2023 left him with serious foot injuries that forced him to miss the entire offseason and all of spring practice. He returned anyway for the 2024 season, started all 13 games at right guard, and earned First Team All-ACC and First Team All-American honors from Sports Info Solutions. His 2025 campaign was stronger still, again earning First Team All-ACC recognition along with multiple All-American honors, becoming the first Georgia Tech offensive lineman to earn consecutive All-American honors since 2012. He won the ACC's Brian Piccolo Award, given to the conference's most courageous player in recognition of his comeback from the car accident. PFF ranked him among the top five guards nationally in overall blocking, run blocking, and pass blocking in 2025. He was invited to the 2026 Panini Senior Bowl, where he immediately took center snaps and impressed evaluators with his interior versatility.
Standing 6-foot-4 and 316 pounds, Rutledge is known for heavy, violent hands that generate immediate separation from blockers, elite athleticism for his size confirmed by the best short shuttle time of any offensive lineman at the 2026 NFL Combine along with a 5.05-second 40 and a 32.5-inch vertical, the mauling mentality and finishing leg drive that produced over 40 career starts across two programs, and the toughness and resilience that made coaches at the Senior Bowl pull him back for competing too hard in drills. NFL evaluators project him as a developmental guard whose combination of athletic testing, power, and versatility to play all three interior positions project him as a Day 2 target with legitimate starter upside in a gap scheme that utilizes pulling guards and play-action concepts, where his athleticism, competitive fire, and three-year All-Conference track record give him a high floor and a realistic path to becoming a quality starting guard.
