Jacob Rodriguez won the Butkus Award, the Bednarik Award, the Nagurski Award, and the Lombardi Award. He was named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and a unanimous All-American. He finished fifth in the 2025 Heisman Trophy voting, an outcome that rarely happens for a defensive player. Now he heads into Day 2 of the 2026 NFL Draft, projected as a Round 2 selection, not a first-rounder.
Where Will Jacob Rodriguez Be Drafted? Round 2 Range With Bills in Play
PFSN’s Jacob Infante has Rodriguez going to the Buffalo Bills at No. 35 overall in his Day 2 and 3 mock draft.
“A Heisman Trophy hopeful for much of 2025, Jacob Rodriguez was incredibly productive for Texas Tech this year,” Infante wrote. “He lacks prototypical linebacker size but plays with a relentless motor, showing off quick processing against the run and in zone coverage across the middle of the field.”
The industry has converged on a Day 2 range. NFL Draft Buzz ranks Rodriguez as the sixth linebacker in the class with an 85.2 grade. Draft Nation projects Rodriguez as “a Day 2 selection, with a strong chance to carve out an early role as a rotational defender and special teams contributor.” Yahoo Sports’ scouting report flags the size limitations as the ceiling constraint, even as it acknowledges the award haul and the turnover production.
PFSN’s Ian Cummings frames Rodriguez as a case study in production-first evaluation.
“Jacob Rodriguez’s stats and accolades from the 2025 season are certifiably absurd,” Cummings wrote. “The former quarterback racked up 128 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, a sack, four interceptions, six pass breakups, and seven forced fumbles, while earning an elite 90.1 PFSN LB Impact grade.”
The LB Impact grade is the number. Rodriguez’s 90.1 is an A-minus that ranks second among all 2025 linebackers and 67th all-time. His 7 forced fumbles led the FBS. Infante’s Bills landing spot at No. 35 is the consensus Day 2 projection, with NFL Draft Buzz and Draft Nation confirming the range.
Jacob Rodriguez Scouting Report: Undersized Impact Starter
The size concern is the whole conversation. Rodriguez measured 6-foot-1 and 233 pounds at the Senior Bowl, bigger than some scouts anticipated but still below the prototype at the position.
Cummings’ report spells out the tradeoff. “Rodriguez will be a polarizing prospect because of his lacking size and length, and that size profile does negatively affect his block take-on and contact authority,” Cummings wrote. “That said, Rodriguez more than compensates with his high-energy athleticism, range, swift processing ability, and truly elite coverage chops.”
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The Combine numbers backed the traits. Rodriguez ran a 4.57 forty at 231 pounds, tied for eighth-best among linebackers in the class. His 38.5-inch vertical tied for sixth. His 10-foot-1 broad jump ranked 10th. He posted the best three-cone time among linebackers at 6.90 seconds and tied for the best 20-yard shuttle at 4.19 seconds. His Relative Athletic Score came in at 9.23, elite in every category except size.
Cummings’ evaluation of the coverage profile is specific. “He’s sticky overtop sit routes, swings, and in-breakers, he’s fast-flowing and relentless on the chase in the run game, and his untethered energy permeates to his teammates,” Cummings wrote. “Best fitting behind a strong defensive line that keeps him clean, Rodriguez has impact starter upside.”
Rodriguez was a three-star quarterback recruit out of S.H. Rider High School in Wichita Falls, Texas, where he finished his career with school records of 7,085 passing yards and 106 total touchdowns. He committed to Virginia specifically because Bronco Mendenhall let him keep playing quarterback.
When Mendenhall resigned after Rodriguez’s freshman year, he transferred to Texas Tech to follow his older brother Joshua. He walked on, slept on an apartment floor, earned a scholarship that fall, and switched to linebacker under Joey McGuire. A 2023 Lisfranc foot injury limited him to five games and forced a medical redshirt; he still won Independence Bowl Defensive MVP honors that December.
The breakout in 2024 resulted in 127 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, and 5 sacks, earning First-Team All-Big 12 honors. The 2025 senior year was the historic run. Texas Tech won its first-ever Big 12 Championship. Rodriguez won everything else.
The Bills pick at No. 35 and run a modern defense that asks linebackers to cover ground in space rather than stack and shed. Infante’s projection fits the player to the scheme.
