Malcolm

Rodriguez

Campbell acknowledged that this is a conservative projection, giving Rodriguez at least some chance to return sooner. The Lions’ defense was hit hard by injuries last season, so the front office added a bevy of defenders via both the draft and free agency. Hopefully, Rodriguez returns in full force in time for a playoff push.

It’s a tough blow to the Lions and Rodriguez, who battled his way into a key role as a rookie in 2022 after being selected by the team in the sixth round. Rodriguez exited in the fourth quarter of Thursday’s game against the Bears and didn’t return to the field, but is now out for the season. The third-year linebacker has started in six of the 10 games he’s appeared in this season, racking up 43 tackles, two sacks, and two TFLs. His absence will be a notable one on a Lions defense that’s been dealt several blows this season.

According to Schultz, Rodriguez “aggravated an old ankle injury,” and he’s likely to miss just one game as a result. It sounds like Rodriguez will miss Week 9’s game against the Packers but should have a chance to suit up in Week 10 when they visit the Texans.

Rodriguez was hurt on a kickoff return in the first quarter and had to be carted off the field. The third-year pro is third on the team in sacks and sixth on the team in tackles, so his loss would be a meaningful one for a banged-up defense. It would also be good news for Tony Pollard the rest of the game.

Rodriguez (5’10/236) was an All-Big 12 honoree his last three seasons on campus capped with an enormous 2021 campaign that included 129 tackles, 15 TFLs, three sacks, and four forced fumbles. Undersized but with football intelligence and straight-line explosion, Rodriguez tends to see things before they happen and fly to the spot. He piled up 397 tackles over the last four years by sifting through traffic and dropping ball-carriers. He’s also improved in coverage in each of the past three years. Rodriguez posted a fabulous 92nd-percentile size-adjusted athletic composite during pre-draft testing including a 4.52 forty. But with arms barely measuring over 30 inches, his small tackling radius manifests in broken tackles. He reminds us of another recent productive, undersized collegiate warrior to enter the NFL, Ben Burr-Kirven.

Rodriguez (5'11"/232) went off on the bench press at the Oklahoma State Pro Day, benching a ridiculous 36 reps. That was four more than ANYONE at the NFL combine, including linemen 100+ pounds heavier than him. The closest was Boston College G Zion Johnson with 32, and the closest LB was Chad Muma with 27. Bench press is much less subjective than the 40-yard dash, so there’s not much faking going on here, he is just extremely strong. Bench press isn’t usually the most valued combine drill, but any sort of outlier number is going to noticed. Combined with a good 40 time for his weight (his 4.52 ranked fourth at the combine), a nearly 40-inch vertical (ranked fifth at the combine) and a 10 foot broad jump, the explosive ability really shows out with Rodriquez.

Rodriguez (5'11/210) makes for the second Cowboys player to test positive that we know of, joining Amen Ogbongbemiga, who earlier announced his diagnosis. The senior linebacker noted on Twitter that he tested positive after returning to campus to start up his preseason prep. He also passed along that he was asymptomatic, stressing to his followers that “though you may not exhibit symptoms, you may still be a carrier per the guidelines of the CDC.” Rodriguez went on to write that "[COVID-19] is not a hoax and still exists.” We have already seen a number of scattered positive cases around the country since players began filtering back onto respective campuses for voluntary workouts.