The Houston Texans traded up to the 26th pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, acquiring guard Keylan Rutledge and a third-round pick. The Buffalo Bills received the 28th pick and additional selections in the trade.
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In classic Nick Caserio fashion, your Houston Texans traded up from the 28th spot to the 26th in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
NFL.com
Texans receive:
2026 first-round pick (No. 26) â GÂ Keylan Rutledge
2026 third-round pick (No. 91)
Bills receive:
2026 first-round pick (No. 28); Pick traded to Patriots â OTÂ Caleb Lomu
2026 third-round pick (No. 69) (from Giants)
2026 fifth-round pick (No. 167)
As always, offensive linemen donât bring the sort of fiery fan response you see with skill position players. And, with more than a few draft pundits grading Rutledge as an early 2nd rounder, torches and pitchforks were made ready.
However, if you watch this guyâs film, you should start to get excited. Heâs intense, plays angry, doesnât give up sacks and doesnât take plays off.
In fact, the glaring concern really comes from the âVoted most likely to end a drive on an Unnecessary Roughness call.â
Per an NFL source, the BESFs were trying to trade up ahead of H-Town to take Rutledge. Thankfully, he was saved from the embarrassment of working for arguably the worst sports team owner in the 21st century.
And that brings us to the poll. I know how I voted in this poll, but letâs take a look and see how Rutledge, and the trade to land him, graded out with the rest of Texans Nation:
The Texans selected guard Keylan Rutledge with the 26th pick.
The Texans traded their 28th pick and additional picks to move up to the 26th spot.
The Bills received the 28th pick, a third-round pick (No. 69), and a fifth-round pick (No. 167).
The Texans' trade up indicates their desire to secure a specific player, enhancing their roster for the upcoming season.
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69% of those polled like the fact Caserio stuck it to Sistrunk. When Rutledgeâs pancaking BESF defenders in a few short months, the other 31% will likely come around.
Over at NFL.com they gave the Texans a B grade for this as well:
Draft picks:
Round 1Â (No. 26): OGÂ Keylan Rutledge, Georgia Tech
Analysis:
Rutledge will certainly bring toughness to the Texansâ offensive line. Houston swapped third-round picks and gave up a fifth-rounder to the Bills to move up two picks for the powerful and athletic Rutledge, which is not a deal-breaker for me. I canât say for certain that they would have found similar value later on.
As it sits right now, the Texans have the 38th and 59th overall picks heading into this evenings Round Two festivities.
Currently, theyâre still in need of defensive tackle help, could use a running back and some depth a various other spots, including the O-Line.
The elephant in the room here is Rutledge and if he plays guard or center. Whichever way he goes, they need to bolster the other.
Our own Kenneth Levyâs handy-dandy, super helpful draft tracker has Kayden McDonald (DT) and Christen Miller (DT) still showing high on the list, so donât be shocked to see 1 of those names called with the 38th pick.
After that, Jake Slaughter (C) and Sam Hecht (C) are on the board and possibly available at 59.
Caserio often treats the draft like a high stakes poker game, wheelinâ, dealinâ and horse tradinâ at every opportunity. So, donât expect the trades have ended just because he made one last night. With that in mind, Round Three will be anyoneâs guessâŠ
Weâll find out when the draft resumes at 6pm tonight.
In the meantime, sit back and watch Rutledge wreck some defenders: