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INDIANAPOLIS, IN – FEBRUARY 28: Texas A&M offensive lineman Chase Bisontis answers questions from the media during the NFL, American Football Herren, USA Scouting Combine on February 28, 2026 at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, IN. Photo by Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire NFL: FEB 28 Scouting Combine EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon2602282009
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INDIANAPOLIS, IN – FEBRUARY 28: Texas A&M offensive lineman Chase Bisontis answers questions from the media during the NFL, American Football Herren, USA Scouting Combine on February 28, 2026 at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, IN. Photo by Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire NFL: FEB 28 Scouting Combine EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon2602282009
Essentials Inside The Story
- Olaivavega Ioane of Penn State expected to be a top-15 pick
- Pregnon, and Chase Bisontis are neck and neck to end up as OG2
- Keylan Rutledge worked at center during the predraft process
In less than two weeks, the 2026 NFL Draft will begin with the Las Vegas Raiders officially on the clock. Final draft meetings ended for several teams on Friday, while the remaining franchises should assemble their boards by the beginning of next week. Here’s the latest on the top of the guard board and a pair of hot names that could be selected earlier than predicted.
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Olaivavega Ioane
Word inside the league is that people expect Olaivavega Ioane of Penn State to be a top-15 pick, and it’s very likely he lands with the Baltimore Ravens, who own the 14th selection. Not every team has Ioane at the top of their guard boards, yet the majority do, including teams considering the position in Round 1.
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INDIANAPOLIS, IN – FEBRUARY 28: Penn State offensive lineman Olaivavega Ioane answers questions from the media during the NFL, American Football Herren, USA Scouting Combine on February 28, 2026 at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, IN. Photo by Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire NFL: FEB 28 Scouting Combine EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon2602280244
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Emmanuel Pregnon/ Chase Bisontis
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After Ioane, Emmanuel Pregnon, and Chase Bisontis are neck and neck to end up as OG2, and both could land in the bottom half of the first round. The landing spot for both players is between selections 26 and 38, unless the Los Angeles Chargers pull a surprise with the 22nd pick.
The Chargers’ depth chart at guard is weak and could use an upgrade for this season, as well as moving forward. After cutting Mekhi Becton in the offseason, a story we broke at EssentiallySports from the Shrine Bowl this past January, the team extended Trevor Penning for one year ($4.5 million) and signed free agent Cole Strange (two years, $13 million). They will address the guard position in the draft; it’s just a matter of when.
Los Angeles individually worked out Pregnon, and he’s definitely a Harbaugh-type blocker, hence selecting him with the 22nd pick is not out of the question. The Chargers have also been taking a close look at Bisontis.
The next potential first-round spot for Bisontis is the Buffalo Bills at pick No. 26. People question whether Alec Anderson, whom the team signed in 2022 as an undrafted free agent, can hold up at guard for 17 games. In two seasons on the active roster, Anderson has started six games.
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January 9, 2026: Oregon s Emmanuel Pregnon in action during the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl – a College Football Playoff CFP Semifinal – featuring the 5 Oregon Ducks and the 1 Indiana Hoosiers, played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. Indiana rolls over Oregon, 56-22. /CSM Atlanta United States of America – ZUMAc04_ 20260109_faf_c04_101 Copyright: xCecilxCopelandx
The New England Patriots like both players and are bringing in Pregnon next week for an official-30 visit, but they were blocked from bringing Bisontis to their facility due to time constraints the Texas A&M junior is dealing with. The Patriots signed Alijah Vera-Tucker to a three-year, $42 million contract in free agency last month. AVT is a talented but injury-prone guard, playing just 43 games over the five years he was with the New York Jets.
Veteran Mike Onwenu mans the other guard spot and has been a terrific player in New England since being selected in the sixth round of the 2020 draft, but he is in the final year of his deal and carries a cap number of around $25 million this season.
If Pregnon starts to slip, keep an eye on the Green Bay Packers. The franchise sent a ton of people to the Oregon pro day for Pregnon, and he’s been interviewing with the coaches recently. Jordan Morgan will kick out to left tackle for the Packers this season after Rasheed Walker signed with Carolina in free agency, and there are a lot of questions, if not concerns, about the guard position.
The Packers don’t pick until No. 52, which means they would have to trade up for Pregnon.
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INDIANAPOLIS, IN – FEBRUARY 28: Georgia Tech offensive lineman Keylan Rutledge answers questions from the media during the NFL, American Football Herren, USA Scouting Combine on February 28, 2026 at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, IN. Photo by Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire NFL: FEB 28 Scouting Combine EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon2602281166
Keylan Rutledge
The sleeper at the position who could be selected much earlier than most expect is Keylan Rutledge of Georgia Tech. Widely graded as a third-round prospect, there is a chance Rutledge ends up in the second round. The Houston Texans and New York Giants, teams that both need help at guard, could take Rutledge at the top of Round 2. If he slips, New England and the Seattle Seahawks both think highly of the offensive lineman.
Though Rutledge did work at center during the predraft process, teams project him solely as a guard.
