The New York Giants do not currently have a definite starter at right guard. They have several players who could win the job, but nobody who’s a shoe-in to start at the position.
Georgia tech right guard Keylan Rutledge holds the distinction of being widely considered the meanest player in this year’s draft… Generally meant in the best way possible. Rutledge is a good-sized, athletic, and very tough right guard prospect who appears to love the physical aspect of the game
Will he be the Giants’ next Richie Suebert? Or will the value not line up for him to be a Giant?
Prospect: Keylan Rutlege (77)
Games Watched: vs. Clemson (2025), vs. Georgia (2025), vs. BYU (2025)
Measurables
Strengths
Best traits
- Competitive toughness
- Play strength
- Run blocking
- Hand usage
- Athleticism
Keylan Rutledge has a near prototypical blend of size, athleticism, and length for the guard position at the NFL level.
He has enough height at 6-foot 3 ¾ inches to give him solid length and mass to take on bigger defensive tackles, while also having good natural leverage. Rutledge isn’t massive, but he has enough weight to anchor at 316 pounds. He carries his weight well, with proportionate thickness in his upper and lower halves, as well as little sloppy weight. He is a very good athlete with great quickness and agility, initial explosiveness, and very good long speed.
Rutledge is a natural knee bender who consistently plays with a wide base and good pad level to maximize his leverage and play strength. He also plays with consistently good hip level and rarely lunges at defenders. He has very quick and light feet, and not just for a guard. He’s an easy lateral mover who can cover ground remarkably quickly. He’s able to easily pick up looping edge defenders, late pressure from blitzers, or get to the edge to help a tackle in distress.
Likewise, Rutledge is an excellent pulling guard who’s easily able to get in front of the play while sprinting across the formation. He’s equally quick working to the second level and is also a good blocker in space on screens.
Rutledge is a reliable pass protector under normal conditions as well as a dominant run blocker. He consistently blocks with good hand positioning, a heavy punch, and great grip strength to sustain and control defenders. He’s able to jolt them back with his punch before uncoiling his hips to bow them back and drive them off the line of scrimmage. His athleticism not only allows him to quickly reload to block multiple defenders, but also stress defenses laterally on outside zone runs.
Finally, Rutledge plays with incredible competitive toughness. He is a natural mauler who seems to love to get after defenders. He consistently looks to finish his blocks with his opponent on the ground, and finish with a final shove if play is over before he can get them to the ground. He’s constantly looking for work and is eager to block multiple defenders on the same play.
Weaknesses
Worst traits
- Over-aggression
- Pass protection
There are few true weaknesses in Rutledge’s game. The most notable one is actually linked to his greatest strength: His competitive toughness.
Rutledge is a brawler by nature and relishes the physical aspect to the game. However, there are instances where he can get too caught up in the moment. Rutledge’s aggression can turn into over-aggression, leading him to hyper-focus on delivering hits to defenders and lose track of the play overall. Not only can that pull him out of position and create opportunities for defenders later in the down, but he could be open to penalties if his aggression gets the better of him.
Rutledge can also be in such a hurry to get to the second level and block smaller defenders that he can find himself out of position and miss the block altogether. He has the recovery athleticism to respond, however the margins for error will be much smaller in the NFL.
His footwork and hand usage also have a bit of a tendency to not sync up as well in pass protection as they do in run blocking. He can be a reliable pass protector but is definitely a better run blocker than pass protector at this point in his development.
Game Tape
(Rutledge is the Georgia Tech right guard wearing number 77.)
Projection
Keylan Rutledge projects as a starting guard at the NFL level with the upside to be a Pro Bowl caliber player.
Rutledge’s combination of size, athleticism, and technique will certainly appeal to scouts and executives, while his competitive toughness will make coaches bang the table for him.
He’ll likely need to temper his aggression to reach his full potential at the NFL level, but that is (hopefully) something he can work on as he develops. Rutledge has the athleticism and play strength to execute pretty much any blocking scheme asked of him, and should be a reliable pass protector as well as a dominant run blocker.
Rutledge doesn’t quite have the rare, elite traits that often accompany first round guard prospects. However, his combination of traits are very good and he shouldn’t have to wait long to hear his name called on the second night of the draft.
Does he fit the Giants? Yes
Final Word: A second round pick
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