MOBILE, Ala. — Georgia Tech guard Keylan Rutledge can’t be missed during Senior Bowl practices. He’s the mauler, the beast, the one pounding his opponents into dust. And he’s attracted the interest of the Dolphins, a team wanting to get better in the trenches.
On Tuesday, Rutledge (6-foot-3, 316 pounds), projected as a mid-round pick, had a few impressive displays of physicality and aggression — including one against SMU’s Jeffrey M’Ba, and one against Texas A&M’s Scooby Williams. He drove them both to the ground.
“That’s just who I am, it’s the way I’m wired,” Rutledge said. “That’s the way I’ve always played, try to finish through the whistle, put guys on the ground.”
There were also snapshots of Rutledge, projected by some as one of the top five guards in the draft, effectively working to the second level in the run game as well as handling Penn State edge rusher Dani Dennis-Sutton in pass protection.
But here’s what Dolphins fans should note: Rutledge said he talked to the Dolphins and “it went great.”
The Dolphins could have an interesting situation at guard.
Left guard Jonah Savaiinaea, the 2025 second-round pick, struggled for most of the year. Right guard Cole Strange played last season on a one-year contract. Veteran James Daniels, the projected starter at right guard, only played three snaps before being sidelined for the season by a pectoral injury. And that follows an Achilles injury that limited him to four games while playing for Pittsburgh in 2024.
In other words, the Dolphins might be unsettled at guard.
Rutledge would settle the situation.
And he would fit in with general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan’s philosophy.
“I think you have to make sure that your line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball is big, tough, resilient,” he said, “and that there’s depth so that you can — it’s a violent game, there’s going to be injuries — (so) that you can survive injuries.”
Rutledge, who played the last two seasons at Georgia Tech after transferring from Middle Tennessee State (where he was part of the team that upset the Miami Hurricanes in 2022) almost didn’t make it this far. In December 2023, he swerved to avoid a car on a rain-slickened highway in Georgia, lost control of his truck and hydroplaned off the highway. The truck flipped twice and landed upside down in a ditch.
Rutledge broke the big toe on his left foot but the bone didn’t heal properly after having emergency room surgery and got infected, requiring another surgery. Amputation was a possibility. But the surgery was successful.
Rutledge went on to have two standout seasons at Georgia Tech, including playing 93 snaps in that epic eight-overtime 44-42 loss to No. 2 Georgia in 2024.
The toughness gene would seem to make Rutledge a good fit for Miami.
Dolphins coach Jeff Hafley has said he has “certain core beliefs that I really do believe in like running the ball and being really physical up front, so when they know we’re going to run the ball, we’re still going to run it well.”
It’s not clear whether Rutledge has position versatility, meaning the ability to also play center, which many teams desire to maximize roster efficiency. But he’s willing to give it a shot.
“I’ve played a lot of football at guard,” Rutledge said, “so I think I’m a guard at the end of the day. But I’m an interior offensive lineman, so anything the team wants me to do, I’m willing.”
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There’s one other reason the Dolphins might want to take a deeper look at Rutledge. For all of his aggression and desire to drive opponents into the ground, that’s not even the best part of his game.
“My mental makeup, how I’m wired, how I think between the ears,” Rutledge said. “I’m going to finish blocks. But I’m also very sharp between the ears. I think it’s my best attribute.”
https://www.sun-sentinel.com/2026/01/28/dolphins-eyeing-mauler-from-georgia-tech-at-senior-bowl/
