Background

Jacob Rodriguez was born in Hastings, Minnesota, to Joe and Ann Rodriguez and moved to Wichita Falls, Texas, at age ten. He was a competitive wrestler as a young child, winning youth state titles at ages five and seven. He attended S.H. Rider High School in Wichita Falls, where he played both ways as a sophomore alongside his older twin brothers, then took over full-time at quarterback and finished his career with school records of 7,085 passing yards and 106 total touchdowns, earning district MVP and a trip to the state semifinals as a senior. A three-star recruit rated the 26th-best athlete nationally, he committed to Virginia because the Cavaliers let him keep playing quarterback. When Bronco Mendenhall resigned after that first season, Rodriguez entered the portal and followed his older brother Joshua to Texas Tech, where he bunked on a spare bit of apartment floor as a walk-on before earning a scholarship that fall. He made the full switch to linebacker under Joey McGuire. A Lisfranc sprain and bone bruise limited his 2023 season to five games, but he broke out in 2024 with 127 tackles, 10.5 TFL, and 5 sacks across 13 starts, earning First-Team All-Big 12. His 2025 senior season was historic: 128 tackles, 11 TFL, 7 forced fumbles, tying an NCAA record, 4 interceptions, 2 fumble recoveries, and 6 pass breakups while leading Texas Tech to a Big 12 title and a College Football Playoff bye. He won the Butkus Award, the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, the Lombardi Award, the Chuck Bednarik Award, and Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, and finished fifth in Heisman Trophy voting. Late in the season, he returned to his roots, entering on offense as a Wildcat quarterback. He had zero penalties called in 772 defensive snaps. His wife, Emma Rodriguez, is an Army Black Hawk helicopter pilot and West Point graduate. He declared for the 2026 NFL Draft.

Physical Attributes

Rodriguez looks like a decent athlete on the field, but I do not think anyone expected him to test like this. He has cleared many fears that he would not have the minimum required athleticism to move into the NFL. This does not show his strength. Linemen do not move him off his spot, and even with his short arms, he does a great job disengaging with them and making plays.

Data and Tape Analysis

If you are unfamiliar with my LB radar charts, you can find more information here

Little fun sizzle reel to start:

There’s a moment in this Jacob Rodriguez highlight reel where I was like maybe he should be arrested for that

— BUM CHILLUPS AKA SPENCER HALL AKA PRESIDENT FOOTBALL (@edsbs.bsky.social) 2025-10-10T15:25:18.864Z

How can you not root for a guy with a mustache like that? And those hits. How are they legal? No one knows, but they are provocative.

His radar chart shows a classic UFO shape. Rodriguez is a coverage and run-defending LB, not one meant to rush the passer. His tape says the same thing.

One downside of Rodriguez's game is his tackling. I think it is his short arms that get in the way the most, but his pursuit angles do not help much either. Instead of taking straight lines to the ball carrier, he often has to adjust his route a few times while trying to make the play. on top of that, he moves with such fervor that he can overpursue and run right past a ball carrier when they make a move.

On the opposite end of his overpursuit, is the fact that he never over-commits in the run game. Rodriguez does not show his hands early, and forces blockers to move to spots where he knows he does not want to be. He sees the play unfold like the QB he used to be and moves through small gaps to make plays before he should be able to.

In coverage, Rodriguez excels. He is not a man-coverage maestro, but can cover TEs and RBs rather easily with his agility, speed, and knowledge of their movements. And speaking of knowledge, his zone feel is great. Knowing how QB reads work and how plays are supposed to play out, he can follow the QBs eyes and make plays on the ball. Four interceptions and three pass breakups prove that.

Most impressive is his ability to force fumbles . This can sometimes be a more fluky stat, but he has forced 10 total fumbles over the past two years. I think he realized it is more difficult for him to make a tackle than most, so he just started punching for the ball. Nearly every tackle he makes, you can see he is trying to get the ball out, and he does, a lot. I think that will translate to the league, and having that unique skill of winning your team extra possessions is super valuable.

Grade and Outlook

Jacob Rodriguez is the perfect example of the maxim, "Just draft good football players." Looking at him, you would not think he affects play to the level he does, but he just makes himself a nuisance. I am not sure he will ever have elite LB ability, but he might have the highest chance of becoming a cult hero for whatever team he plays for.

Grade: 5.9 (2nd Rounder)