Why the Detroit Lions should draft LB Jacob Rodriguez

Though not an elite coverage linebacker, he has the traits to become one. As a comparison, you need look no further than Anzalone’s progress from college to the NFL. When Anzalone was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in 2017, he was billed as an athletic linebacker who could grow into a coverage role. After nine seasons in the NFL, Anzalone has quietly become one of the better cover linebackers in the league. It took time for Anzalone, but being good in coverage is just as much an athletic test as it is a mental test.

The mental side of Rodriguez’s game is arguably his best. His background as a quarterback gives him a unique ability to diagnose offensive play calls from the defensive side, and he has shown a knack for sniffing out blocks before they develop. Being athletic only carries you so far as a linebacker. Reading and reacting in time can be the difference between a big offensive play and a big defensive play. In Jack Campbell’s rookie season, he had elite athleticism, but his anticipation was lagging behind. Too often, Campbell was getting washed out in run defense due to a misread lane or redirection. That changed for Campbell with experience, and he has now paired his speed and power with split-second decision-making, turning him into an All-Pro. I think Rodriguez could hit the ground running as a pro, as his awareness is already at an NFL level.

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Rodriguez also has mastery of the Peanut Punch, a technique that was made famous by cornerback Charles “Peanut” Tillman and is a staple of the current Lions defense. Throughout his college career, Rodriguez has forced a whopping 13 fumbles thanks largely to the technique of punching out the ball with a closed fist. When examining playmakers on defense, sacks and interceptions are often the main point of discussion, but a player who can consistently force fumbles is an asset that needs appreciation. [Editor’s note: Ahead of 2025, Texas Tech’s coach Joey McGuire visited Detroit’s minicamp and learned how Lions DC Kelvin Sheppard runs the drill at the NFL level. When installed at TTU, Rodriguez thrived.]

I think Rodriguez could develop into a great cover linebacker before long. His play speed is solid, but what really stands out on tape is his quickness and acceleration—his tape backs up his combine testing to a T. These traits should be assets in the NFL with some seasoning. At the very least, Rodriguez’s run defense should be starting-caliber from the get-go—analyst Todd McShay calls him “slippery” as a run defender, and I can think of no better way to describe him. Whereas a linebacker like Campbell can blow up blocks, Rodriguez can outright dodge them at times.

The key words there are “at times” because he is not without flaws. The biggest knock on Rodriguez is his length. While he is not as small as Malcolm Rodriguez, he possesses one of the smaller wingspans among top linebacker prospects (74.63 inches). That lack of reach, coupled with a modest height and weight, could result in him struggling to take on blockers. Against linemen, especially while pulling, he can get washed out if blocked. As a smaller linebacker, he could even struggle against chips from tight ends and fullbacks. Because of Rodriguez’s skill set, opposing offenses would be wise to attack him in the run game, such as with duo or pulling linemen. His short wingspan also limits his ceiling in coverage—he is unlikely to be a ball-hawking linebacker despite having keen awareness and vision.

Rodriguez may struggle with covering fast and shifty running backs in the NFL (think Jahmyr Gibbs), though you could also argue that most NFL linebackers struggle in that regard. With 4.57-second speed, he can play fast, but he is unlikely to win sprints versus some running backs and wide receivers. Another negative for Rodriguez is his tendency to miss tackles, partly due to his lack of length and partly due to his aggressiveness with pursuit angles—in particular, he struggles with overrunning on cutbacks. The latter can be overcome with good coaching, but the former may challenge him throughout his career.

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As a final negative, he has limited special teams experience, something often required for smaller linebackers. Due to his athleticism and football IQ, he could develop into a decent special teamer, but it is not a craft he has honed yet.

Intangibles

I have already spoken in length about Rodriguez’s top-tier awareness and how that translates to success on the field, but Rodriguez checks almost every box on the Lions’ typical prospect wishlist.

From birth through to college, Rodriguez was an athletic junky, doing everything from wrestling to track to baseball. His high school prowess as a quarterback earned him a scholarship to the University of Virginia, though he only saw action as a receiver and running back in limited snaps. A coaching carousel prompted a transfer to Texas Tech, where his college career took off. Part of that success came from the natural ability that once made him a dual-threat quarterback, but it is also a testament to his perseverance and growth. He started as a walk-on at Texas Tech, so his college career culminating in a stack of awards and a spot on the Heisman list demonstrates how far he has come.

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Grit and motor are at the forefront of Rodriguez’s game. The no-quit attitude and leadership that the Lions covet are integral to him as both a football player and a person. When injuries prompted Virginia to move him away from a pure quarterback, Rodriguez accepted the opportunity. At the 2026 NFL Combine, he stated that at the time he was “more than happy to do whatever [he] could to help the team win.” When he transferred to Texas Tech, nothing was guaranteed for him. Not a spot on the team, not a scholarship, not even a bed to sleep on. He could have quit and moved on from football, but a passion and calling kept him on this trajectory. Sleeping on a half-folded mattress topper does not make you an NFL pro, but it is one piece of the puzzle that helped Rodriguez become a valued leader on that Texas Tech defense.

Draft value

Of the eligible linebacker prospects, Rodriguez could very well be the second one selected after Sonny Styles (Arvell Reese is more of a pass rusher than a traditional linebacker, akin to Micah Parsons). However, there lies the problem with Detroit’s potential aspirations of drafting him. Styles will surely be off the board before Detroit is on the clock, but there is a sharp drop-off in consensus draft position after him. Detroit currently holds the 17th pick in the draft, but that is likely too rich for a player with Rodriguez’s lack of length and a team with arguably greater needs (offensive tackle and defensive end). The Lions have demonstrated that they value linebackers more than the average NFL team, but would they really invest another top-20 selection on an off-ball linebacker?

Barring another Brad Holmes trade, Detroit’s second selection will come at 50th overall, a spot just at the edge of Rodriguez’s projected draft position (most analysts have him in the pick 40-50 range). Between Rodriguez, Georgia’s CJ Allen, Cincinnati’s Jake Golday, Texas’ Anthony Hill Jr., and Pittsburgh’s Kyle Louis, there is no consensus LB2 in the draft, meaning by the time Detroit’s second-round pick rolls around, the draft board could vary drastically. It would not be unreasonable for Rodriguez to slide due to length concerns, but another team could just as easily fall in love with his intangibles and pick him sooner than expected—I would not rule out a late first-round selection for him.

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If Rodriguez is on the board at pick 50, I would be pounding the table for him, and I imagine many in the Lions front office would feel the same way. Things will get interesting once we hit pick 30. If Styles is the only off-ball linebacker off the board as the first round winds down, it could bode well for Rodriguez falling to 50. If a player like Allen or Golday goes off the board in a surprise move, I would not rule out—nor be against—Detroit moving up to take Rodriguez somewhere in the mid-to-late-30s. A jump from 50 to, say, 36 might cost Detroit a future third-round pick, but that is nearly an annual tradition for the Lions and Holmes, and if that is what it takes to secure a Day 1 starter at WILL, I would take it.

The exact landing spot for Rodriguez is difficult to project, but I believe that whichever team selects him could get a smart, athletic, and gritty linebacker who could start for years to come.