The vibe around the Nebraska football team might be the worst that it's been since Mike Riley's last season in Lincoln this spring. However, one need look no further than what happened during the NFL Draft on Thursday night to find hope that head coach Matt Rhule has finally assembled a coaching staff that can lead to many wins and real development in the program.
On Thursday night, Geep Wade and Rob Aurich both sent one of their charges to the NFL in the first round of the draft. Both assistants are new hires; they replaced two assistants who didn't work out for the Huskers. And both now have immediate resumes that NU fans should hope can be copied.
Nebraska coaches produce pair of first-round draft picks
The newest Nebraska offensive line coach put together a very good unit at Georgia Tech before coming to Lincoln. That unit was led by guard Keylan Rutledge, who was so good that the Houston Texans actually traded up a couple of spots to make sure they got him.
Rutledge was a two-year starter under Wade, earning first-team All-America honors in back-to-back years. He has some medical questions that followed him all the way to the draft, but he convinced Houston he was so good, they took him higher than most teams expected him to go. The team was so sure Rutledge was a starting NFL guard, they wanted to make sure he didn't start for anyone else.
Nebraska gets one defender and one offensive lineman going in two straight picks
Right after Rutledge, Aurich saw one of his top defenders at San Diego State go with the No. 27 pick, and like Wade's mentee, a team traded up to grab Chris Johnson. Johnson recorded 13 pass breakups, four interceptions, and didn’t allow a single touchdown in coverage in 2025, earning All-America and Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year honors. Now he's with the Miami Dolphins.
Nebraska has a tough row to hoe in 2026. But maybe, Thursday night's first round in the NFL Draft shows that Rhule has brought in the right coaches to help Nebraska navigate it to a successful end, and even more first-round picks for the Huskers in the future.
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