The Seattle Seahawks already have three cornerstones along their offensive line in left tackle Charles Cross, right tackle Abraham Lucas and left guard Grey Zabel.
Could they fortify the trenches with another offensive lineman in this year’s NFL Draft?
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With the draft now just over two weeks away, former NFL quarterback Brock Huard highlighted Georgia Tech guard Keylan Rutledge to kick off his annual draft profile series Tuesday on Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk.
The 6-foot-4, 316-pound Rutledge is ranked by ESPN as the No. 4 offensive guard and No. 58 overall prospect in this year’s draft class. He started all 26 games at right guard for Georgia Tech over the past two seasons and was an AP third-team All-American in 2025. He ranked 22nd out of 686 FBS guards in Pro Football Focus grading this past season, including 21st in run blocking grading.
Huard envisions Rutledge as a potential second-round fit for the Seahawks.
“If you took him at 32, it’d be a bit of a reach,” Huard said. “He is closer to that 50 range. But that 25 to 75 is where about every one of my (draft profile) guys are going to be. And this one’s a little on the lower, because he is a guard and there are some other guys.
“But what do I love about him? … He’s unapologetically a guard. If you’re at the line of scrimmage, you know what I want? Really nasty (and) rugged. And this is the toughest dude in the draft. Multiple people told me that. Give me the nastiest, meanest, fire-breathing, rip your head off, unapologetic about it. That’s Keylan Rutledge.”
Huard also likes Rutledge’s athleticism and background as a three-sport athlete. At Franklin County High School in Royston, Ga., Rutledge was a two-time all-state basketball player, a state champion shot putter and a standout two-way lineman in football.
Rutledge’s athleticism showed up at the NFL scouting combine, where he received the top NFL Next Gen Stats athleticism score among offensive guards.
The Seahawks are poised to return every offensive lineman from their recent Super Bowl-winning team, but Huard sees Rutledge as a prospect who could challenge Anthony Bradford for the starting right guard spot.
“He’s got a little grit, he’s got a whole lot of toughness and he’s got got a multi-sport background for a people-mover at the line of scrimmage,” Huard said. “He could be a right guard that would very much push Bradford at that spot.”
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