Old-school mauler who plays with a phone-booth nastiness that NFL line coaches can't teach — Rutledge wants to bury defenders and frequently does, driving them into the dirt on combination blocks and second-level arrivals. His pulling ability is best-in-class for this draft, and a 9.62 RAS confirmed the movement skills that flash on tape are real, not scheme artifacts. The pass protection is where the risk lives: inconsistent footwork, rising pad level, and edge leakage against twitchy interior rushers who can dip and rip underneath his frame are genuine NFL-level concerns. But the floor is a physical, scheme-versatile rotational guard who contributes in year one, and the ceiling — if the technique cleans up — is a Quinn Meinerz-style starter who makes a gap-scheme offense go.
- Elite pulling ability and second-level blocking — arrive with speed, adjust path, and finish with violence
- Combine-validated athleticism (9.62 RAS, best short shuttle among all OL in Indianapolis) paired with genuine play speed on tape
- Dominant phone-booth physicality with heavy hands, violent strikes, and a finishing mentality that coaches had to dial back at the Senior Bowl
- Strong anchor against bull rushes — sinks hips and braces through contact to maintain pocket integrity
- Competitive temperament and mental toughness validated by overcoming a severe car accident and playing at an All-American level within months of recovery
- Inconsistent footwork in pass protection — gets choppy when defenders cross his face laterally, exposing soft edges to counters
- Pad level rises through reps, particularly against quicker interior defenders, creating leverage disadvantages
- Edge leakage against twitchy B-gap swim and rip moves is a real concern at the next level — the big question mark on the tape
- Hand placement widens in pass pro, and pass-set depth needs refinement — technique issues that are coachable but currently present
Physical, old-school guard who wins with aggression, power at the point of attack, and effective pulling in gap-scheme concepts. Like Slauson, Rutledge's value is driven by run-game dominance more than pass-protection ceiling, and he projects as a long-time starter who maximizes physical tools with effort and competitive fire.