One Stat Puts Jacob Rodriguez in Great Company

One Stat Puts Jacob Rodriguez in Great Company

If one stat is telling, Jacob Rodriguez might be the best rookie linebacker the Miami Dolphins have used in a long time.

In a game that saw a lot go wrong for the Dolphins on defense, the second-round pick proved to be a rare bright spot, as he racked up a team-high 14 tackles in his NFL debut, and he finished with more than Jordyn Brooks, the league’s leader in total tackles from a season ago.

Brooks not only racked up a ton of tackles, but he also recorded five stop tackles and, on three targets allowed, just seven yards in coverage. His imprint was all over the game, even if Miami did give up 27 points to a sub-par Las Vegas Raiders squad.

The Jacob Rodriguez Stat That Stands Out

And one stat puts his stupendous debut into historical perspective. The last time a Dolphins rookie finished with more than 14 tackles in a single game was in 1996, when Zach Thomas totaled 16 in just the second game of his pro career. Rodriguez gets a lot of comparisons to a young Thomas, and rightfully so after his game against Las Vegas.

He marks one of the Dolphins’ highest picks in the 2026 NFL Draft. Miami drafted only two players ahead of him: Kadyn Proctor and Chris Johnson, both selected in the first round. The Dolphins clearly see great promise in Rodriguez and envision him being a linchpin for this defensive unit for years to come.

Hopefully, Rodriguez can keep shining for the Dolphins in the weeks to come, and he’s a rookie worth keeping tabs on as the season progresses. It’s evident that he’s off to a stellar start to his NFL career and will look to keep things rolling when the Dolphins do battle against the San Francisco 49ers.