A former coach boldly predicts All-Pro status for the Texans' rookie lineman, hinting he's already solving their center conundrum.
The Houston Texans entered the 2026 NFL Draft with a clear need to fortify the insides of their trenches. The interior offensive and defensive lines needed help, and Houston succeeded in bringing in high-end prospects to fix those areas. Houston drafted Keylan Rutledge and Kayden McDonald with the franchise's first two picks of the event, and those are two selections that the fan base should be very excited about.
McDonald was the team's first second-round pick, and he was thought to be an option near the end of the first round. The Texans opted to go with Rutledge in the first, and McDonald fell to the franchise still.
Rutledge is expected to be a good player, and he played guard during his time at college at Georgia Tech. The Texans presumably already have Wyatt Teller starting at right guard, and Evan Brown is another guard who was signed during free agency. The left guard spot is up in the air, as is the center position. There is a world where Brown could start at left guard, and Rutledge could be moved over to center, as he has a little of experience playing center from his time in college.
The young offensive lineman's former head coach from college recently spoke to the media, and he was asked a ton of questions about Rutledge and the fact that he landed with the Texans. Brent Key is the head coach at Georgia Tech, and he had some strong predictions for his former player, even if he switches over to center, "I think he, you know depending on how it works out at center there, I think whether it's this year, whether it's next year when he makes the move to center, Red's going to be an All-Pro center in the league. I do believe that. I strongly believe that."
Key obviously has some bias towards his former player, but he is sort of putting his reputation on the line by making such a bold prediction. He clearly believes in his former player, and the Texans did not have their center of the future on the roster before drafting Rutledge. He should have the chance to become the franchise's center of the future, and he could continue to improve at the position on his way to becoming an All-Pro.
It will be interesting to see if the first-round pick starts out at center or guard, and how the coaching staff in Houston maneuvers that entire situation as Rutledge transitions into professional football.