![\"Keylan](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Keylan-Rutledge-e1774810453537.jpg\")
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Georgia Tech guard and draft prospect Keylan Rutledge.<\/p>\n
The New York Giants<\/a> have most of their starting lineup in place ahead of the NFL draft, although one glaring weakness remains at right guard<\/a>. The latest Giants<\/a> draft news and rumors suggest that Big Blue could spend an early draft pick on the interior offensive line this April, and that\u2019s what the latest Pro Football Sports Network mock draft<\/a> predicted on March 28.<\/p>\n At pick No. 37, PFSN draft expert Ian Cummings sent<\/a> the G-Men Georgia Tech guard Keylan Rutledge, a 6-foot-4 blocker known for his rare combination of size and athleticism.<\/p>\n \u201cKeylan Rutledge is a plus athlete with near-elite mass, who acquires leverage well, anchors well, can drive power, and doesn\u2019t hesitate to bury opponents in the dirt,\u201d Cummings wrote as an explanation for this prediction.<\/p>\n And Rutledge is definitely a prospect who could be on Giants<\/a> head coach John Harbaugh\u2019s radar.<\/p>\n Potential Giants NFL Draft Target Keylan Rutledge Described as \u2018Burly\u2019 & \u2018Rugged\u2019 OL GettyKeylan Rutledge is a strong fit for John Harbaugh and the New York Giants<\/a> in the NFL<\/a> draft.<\/p>\n Rutledge seems like the type of gritty, no-nonsense blocker that Harbaugh would appreciate.<\/p>\n NFL Network scouting expert Lance Zierlein described him<\/a> as a \u201cburly, experienced right guard with excellent contact pop and a rugged field demeanor that will appeal to offensive line coaches.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201c[Rutledge] excels as a drive\/combo blocker, where he displaces defenders, but he has the athleticism to operate in all run-blocking concepts,\u201d the draft expert continued. \u201cHe understands technique but suffers from occasional rough patches due to inconsistent balance and body control. His pass protection range is average, and edge leakage could be a concern against NFL athletes.\u201d<\/p>\n Zierlein concluded that \u201cRutledge has the toughness to earn a role as a good backup with starting potential.\u201d<\/p>\n The athleticism is really the key for Rutledge as an IOL prospect with upside. NFL Draft Buzz pointed to<\/a> his background as a former basketball player and shot-putter, calling him \u201cgenuinely athletic\u201d at 316 pounds.<\/p>\n Per NFL Draft Buzz, Rutledge posted the best short shuttle time for an offensive lineman at this year\u2019s NFL Combine. He also ran a 5.05-second 40-yard dash, with a 32.5-inch vertical.<\/p>\n \u201c[Rutledge has] the versatility to play all three interior spots, even if center remains a work in progress,\u201d NFL Draft Buzz eventually noted. \u201cHis tape, his testing, and his Senior Bowl week all point the same direction: a dependable, physical guard with more athletic range than most evaluators initially expected.\u201d<\/p>\n Giants News Will Eventually Come at Right Guard Amid Draft & Free Agency Rumors<\/p>\n The Giants<\/a> haven\u2019t done much at right guard, outside of bringing back failed first-round pick Evan Neal<\/a> and veteran backup Aaron Stinnie<\/a>.<\/p>\n As of now, it\u2019s unclear who the starter would be if Week 1 started tomorrow, and that\u2019s pretty telling in that the Week 1 starter is not currently on the roster.<\/p>\n There\u2019s still a world where the Giants<\/a> draft a guard like Rutledge and add a late signing in free agency. This would give Harbaugh two more first-team-caliber options at the position, along with presumptive starting left guard Jon Runyan Jr<\/a>.<\/p>\n If the Giants choose to bring in another veteran at the position, that move could occur after the draft. The compensatory pick formula does not take into account signings that are finalized after April 29, so NFL franchises often wait until May and June to settle on their final veteran acquisitions.<\/p>\n There are still a few free agent guard fits who might make sense<\/a> for the Giants at that point in the offseason.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tMichael Obermuller<\/a> covers the NFL as an Associate Editor for Heavy Sports, where he began writing in 2021. His areas of focus include the NFL breaking news operation, Kansas City Chiefs, New York Giants, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Pittsburgh Steelers, with expert knowledge on each based on years of coverage. Michael is an NYC area native and Quinnipiac graduate. More about Michael Obermuller<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tMore Heavy on Giants\n\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\tLoading more stories\n\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty Georgia Tech guard and draft prospect Keylan Rutledge. The New York Giants have most of their starting…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":572726,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[559],"tags":[64,63,593,85],"class_list":["post-572725","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nfl","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-nfl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/572725","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=572725"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/572725\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/572726"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=572725"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=572725"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=572725"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Keylan](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Keylan-Rutledge-2-e1774810495100.jpg\")
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