With questions at linebacker, Jacob Rodriguez’s elite 2025 production and Senior Bowl showing put him on the Vikings’ radar.
The Minnesota Vikings could be in the market for an inside linebacker this offseason. Blake Cashman will be 30 when the 2026 season begins, and injuries have forced him to miss seven games in two years with Minnesota.
Fellow linebackers Eric Wilson and Ivan Pace, Jr.'s immediate futures are even murkier. Wilson will be an unrestricted free agent, and Pace will be a restricted free agent after being benched midway through the 2025 season.
Even if the Vikings were to retain Wilson, who was excellent in the second half of the season, they need an infusion of youth at the position. They could look to Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez, who dominated college football in 2025 and is carrying that form into Senior Bowl week.
Rodriguez was PFF's top-rated college linebacker in 2025, receiving a 93.0 overall grade. He combined excellent run defense (94.8 grade) with savvy pass coverage (92.3 pass defense grade). That well-rounded play may come as a surprise for someone with his throwback-sized 6-foot-1, 233-pound frame.
As of Thursday, Rodriguez is the 90th-ranked prospect on PFF's Big Board. He's the 89th-ranked prospect on the Consensus Big Board, showing a consistent evaluation on him that would likely land him as a late Day 2, early Day 3 pick.
On Wednesday, Rodriguez displayed the traits that helped him become one of the nation's top linebackers. He forced a fumble on Clemson running back Adam Randall, resulting in a turnover.
It was on par for Rodriguez, who led the FBS with seven forced fumbles in 2025. One resulted in his own 69-yard touchdown return.
Later, Rodriguez capped off team drills by intercepting a pass from Baylor quarterback Sawyer Robertson. The pass was off-target, but Rodriguez did a great job of getting depth and recognizing the route to get himself in position to make the interception.
That production again mirrored what he put on tape all season. He intercepted four passes in 2025, demonstrating awareness and movement skills that would make him an every-down player.
It's one thing to perform well in these practices. But stacking them on top of quality game film and metrics solidifies what everyone already knows. Rodriguez could provide an immediate impact for whoever selects him because of his overall skill set.
That could make him an ideal candidate for Brian Flores' defense. Over three seasons, Flores has been hesitant to insert young players into the starting lineup due to the complexity of his system.
Could he make an exception for Rodriguez, though? His play style would give Flores an every-down piece. The question would then become how quickly Rodriguez could pick up the playbook.
However, it isn't unprecedented for young players to become early contributors for Flores. Pace started 11 games as an undrafted rookie in 2023. He eventually fell out of favor with the coaching staff in 2025 due to missed assignments and a one-dimensional playing style.
Rodriguez, on the other hand, could have an equal impact on both the run and pass games, allowing Flores to be more flexible with the other 10 positions on defense.
The Vikings won't be the only team monitoring Rodriguez. But they should strongly consider him because of the impact he could bring to the team from Day 1.