Round 2, Pick #43: Miami Selects Jacob Rodriguez LB Texas Tech

NFL.com Draft Profile

Overview

Rodriguez arrived in college as an offensive “athlete” and leaves Texas Tech as a bigger-than-life, stat-stuffing linebacker. He’s uniquely productive, with elite tackle, interception and forced fumble production. He’ll occasionally bounce out of a run fit when chasing action, but he has the burst to race back inside and finish. He’s slippery working off blocks and navigating combo climbers. His lateral pursuit leaves the station on time and with a fast take-off. Rodriguez displays ballhawking instincts and outstanding hands but busted coverages were part of the package in 2025. His unbridled urgency and “make every play” mindset can inflate missed tackle totals, but the production should outweigh the occasional headaches. He projects as a long-term starting inside linebacker.

Strengths

• Combines high tackle totals with plus on-ball production.
• Posted 13 career forced fumbles, including FBS-leading seven in 2025.
• Keys quickly and races to the junction point.
• Rarely caught flat-footed in his lateral pursuit.
• Constant movement makes him hard to hit for linemen.
• Won’t drift deep into traffic without a plan of action.
• Punches and plays off the block with excellent technique.
• Has the instincts, eyes and ball skills of a greedy safety in coverage.
• Field command and performance inspire those around him.

Weaknesses

• Can be knocked around inside the box by size.
• Will occasionally false-step in the diagnose stage.
• Will take a big bite on misdirection and play-action.
• Coverage busts were costly in 2025.
• Comes in hot to the catch, leading to overruns.
• Lacks desired length for consistent wrap-ups.

The Ringer Draft Profile

The Player

Rodriguez is a high-impact defender and former walk-on with outstanding intangibles, production, and tape. He’s the only FBS player since 2005 to have recorded at least 300 career tackles, 10 forced fumbles, five interceptions, and five fumble recoveries. His greatest strength is his ability to take the ball away, and he finished his career with 13 forced fumbles. The timing, accuracy, and violence of his punch stand out.

In coverage, he reads the quarterback well, tracks the ball naturally, and finishes plays. He intercepted four passes in 2025 and totaled 10 passes defended over the past two seasons, even though he has shorter arms.

Rodriguez is slippery in the run game and difficult to square up. His change-of-direction ability—evident in his top-ranked three-cone and short shuttle times among linebackers at the combine—shows up on tape when he evades blocks and makes plays in tight spaces. He’s quick to read and react, plays with great effort, and closes well, as backed by a 4.57-second 40-yard dash.

While he drives through ballcarriers and shows good stopping power, he missed 42 tackles over the past two seasons (per PFF). His short arms and inconsistent angles contribute to those misses, and while he has the upper-body strength to stack blockers, he can get pushed around at times because of his lighter frame.

A two-time team captain, he started 31 games at Texas Tech after transferring from Virginia, where he spent one season playing multiple positions, including quarterback. Rodriguez put together one of the most decorated seasons in recent memory, winning the Butkus Award, Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Chuck Bednarik Award, and Lombardi Trophy in 2025. He was a unanimous first-team All-American and the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year.

The Draft

Rodriguez elevated himself from a potential day three pick entering the 2025 season to one of the top off-ball linebacker prospects in the class, with top-50 consideration, following a dominant senior year, strong Senior Bowl performance, and impressive combine.

The Projection

Rodriguez should make an immediate impact on special teams and has the tools to develop into a starter. Demario Davis is a loose comparison from an athletic and developmental standpoint, as he entered the league needing to clean up his tackling and consistency in coverage before becoming one of the NFL’s top linebackers.

Simon Clancy Draft Guide

JACOB RODRIGUEZ

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TEXAS TECH

THE SKINNY: Rodriguez is such a fascinating study, the Butkus Award winner who had a phenomenal year and

put himself very firmly in the top 50 mix. But I didn’t love his 2024 tape: I thought he played a little out of control

when attacking gaps coming downhill and I didn’t think he was a great finisher. But to his credit he was out of

his mind last season, a true clean up magician at the second level who forced 7 fumbles, had four picks and

finished 5th in the Heisman voting. A tremendous athlete growing up, he excelled on the gridiron but also in

baseball, basketball and track, as well as winning two wrestling state championships. He also led his prep team

to state twice – as a QB and a FS. Signed by Virginia, he spent a season in Richmond playing QB, WR, TE and

RB bit going nowhere fast. Then, in 2022 this chess playing sometime-QB transferred to Lubbock as a walk-on,

sleeping on the floor of his brother’s apartment until he was placed on scholarship, and switched to defense,

making a significant contribution on that side of the ball and on special teams, and by 2024 he was leading the

Big 12 with 118 tackles and 9.5 TFLs. He’s pretty small and his arms are under 31 inches which can show up

the tap when he confronts second level climbers. But he has the ability to work up and down the second level to

stay clean, able to use his speed and quicks to hammer into gaps. Rodriguez has really good instincts and an

innate understanding for the flow of a play and once the play is under way he’s always on the move which

makes him difficult to consistently tag, and when he gets close to the ball he’s very aggressive in punching it

out. In coverage he can line up in man in the slot but tends to stick to the hook/curl stuff underneath, although

there were some uncomfortable losses last year. Overall he looks like an early starter because he ‘gets it’. The

son of a blackjack dealer, teams are going to have to be good with a fairly length injury history: he was slowed

with a number of issues early in his debut varsity season as a prep sophomore; he’s also suffered a suffered a

mid-foot sprain, a Lisfranc sprain and a severe bone bruise; and also surgery for a torn labrum which held him

out for all of the spring session of 2023. Off the field he’s known as a great leader and a scouts favourite, a kid

who grew up loving snowboarding and sledding. His wife is currently a helicopter pilot on active duty in the US

Army. He’ll turn 24 early in the season.

SIZE: 6013, 231

CLASS: Redshirt