Big difference was the short shuttle - which is pretty telling for an OL. Kenyon had a horrible shuttle time and Big Red has a great SS time. Not saying other things can get in the way, but I am WWWAAAYYYY more confident in this pick than I ever was in Kenyawn.
Yeah, Rutledge has the required athleticism length and size to be a stud. Along with an absolute dog mentality. The shot put and basketball background give me hope he can be a stud center too
I voted for liking the pick. I like what I read about Rutledge. I don’t like the price paid to trade up. The pick could also be given an incomplete in the sense that it raises questions about whether the Texans be able to fill their other needs on the DL, at linebacker, CB, and TE with quality players? If the 91st pick is a disappointment, then Rutledge better be the starting center coming out of the bye week.
Here's Dane Brugler's writeup (ignore if already posted). What I like is that he's pretty athletic for being so big and mean. Basketball and track background and started as a TE in HS. Pretty good arm length/wingspan for IOL and good sized hands. He started 43 games, despite severe pain from car wreck--mental toughness is elite and that's huge for OL. This is one of my fav picks we've made as Texans. I still remember Oilers OLs and this dude is a return to that age (I hope).
I love this man's attitude! "Just reps, I'm confident I can do it, just reps." Our coaches are gonna love this kid and he's got that infectious attitude you want. With Teller, Smith, and Ingram to mentor him, he'll also be able to give them a boost with his tenacious energy. Damn, the nastitude of this OL room is gonna be epic! Let's go--rounds 2 & 3 tonight!!
Normally I wouldn't get excited about an Olineman that the Texans draft just because I don't trust them drafting Olineman. But it does give me some hope that it seems the 49ers also wanted him in the 1st round, so maybe there's something there. If he starts at C and improves the run game, it's a win. Even if he isn't great at pass pro I think it's a good decision. This team is clearly looking to mitigate CJ next season by having a good run game and leaning on the defense, so I expect a lot fewer passes than the last three years.
Georgia Tech is like RICE in level of intelligence required to go there, this guy is not only a great athlete and mean as hell he is wicked smart. GREAT PICK ! DD
Cautiously optimistic but still suffering from Green, Scruggs, and Fisher PTSD. Between Teller, Rutledge, Evan Brown, and Ingram, hopefully we get a strong trio IOL. Don’t have much faith in Andrews.
