Texas Tech has a third defender stealing headlines at the Senior Bowl that Dennis Allen needs to start paying more attention to
Jacob Rodriguez is making some real noise down in Mobile, Alabama.
The Chicago Bears have had a wonderful time at the Senior Bowl this week down in Mobile, Alabama salivating over the defensive line prospects that are flat out dominating with two days of practice already in the books.
It’s all sweet music to defensive coordinator Dennis Allen heading into an offseason in which the Bears are primed to make multiple additions to his unit on the defensive side of the ball.
Two areas come to mind as pressing needs based on the current makeup of the roster with those areas being the defensive line and the safety position. However, future moves could make linebacker an offseason position of need in 2026 as well. If that’s the case, one player has been turning some heads this week at the Senior Bowl.
Jacob Rodriguez keeps making splash plays during Senior Bowl practice
Already this week I’ve discussed two Texas Tech Red Raiders defenders as potential draft targets for the Bears to pay attention to in edge rusher Romello Height and defensive tackle Lee Hunter. Both players have been impressing so far and making a strong case for themselves going into April’s draft. It’s time to start putting Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez into that conversation.
A to Z Sports has multiple draft experts with boots on the ground down in Mobile and to get some firsthand insight on what Rodriguez has shown so far, here’s what Rob Gregson had to say:
“Jacob Rodriguez came into the Senior Bowl widely regarded as a day three selection at the LB position, but his Wednesday practice in Mobile may have changed that. Rodriguez had an interception to end the team period as well as a forced fumble. He was all over the field, similar to what we saw during his time at Tech. You can bet on his traits and instincts to position himself nicely in this draft class.” – Gregson
It’s no surprise to see Rodriguez get this kind of spotlight, he was easily the top linebacker in college football this past season. He earned multiple Heisman votes while winning multiple defensive awards including the Butkus Award, recognizing the nation’s top linebacker.
Rodriguez makes plays all over the field and is a literal turnover machine that can fit easily in Allen’s scheme, especially if the Bears decide to part ways with one of their starting linebackers.
Tremaine Edmunds could be on his way out of Chicago in the coming weeks
After playing at a Pro Bowl level at the start of the season, Tremaine Edmunds suffered a groin injury that knocked him out of four consecutive games. After returning, he looked like a shell of his former self the Bears had earlier in the season.
Edmunds is entering into the final year of his four-year, $72 million contract with the Bears and cutting ties with him this offseason can save Chicago $15 million in cap space. It’s worth mentioning Edmunds was a much stronger fit in Matt Eberflus’ scheme and the Bears have already committed a new deal to T.J. Edwards last offseason.
The writing is on the wall for the Bears to move on in the coming weeks. When that inevitably happens, the Bears will be in the market for a starting linebacker and Rodriguez could be a potential option worth considering on Day 2-3 of the draft. The A to Z Sports Mock Draft Database currently has Rodriguez as the 97th ranked prospect with an 80.22 average draft position.
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