With the No. 188 overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft, the Detroit Lions selected Oklahoma State linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez.
It was a well-received pick by Lions fans and most of the NFL draft media and analysts. Rodriguez was a team captain and leader of the Cowboys defense, racking up almost 400 tackles in college. He earned three All-Big 12 first-team nods in his time in Stillwater.
At 5-11 and 232 pounds, Rodriguez lacks the prototypical size. That was something held against him by many evaluators, as were his short arms and high missed tackle rate.
Balancing the strengths and weaknesses is a big part of prospect evaluation. Here’s how several respected NFL draft analysts evaluated Rodriguez prior to the draft.
NFL.com
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NFL.com analyst Lance Zierlein was a fan of Rodriguez. He projected him as a fourth-round value with a comparison to David Long of the Tennessee Titans, another undersized inside backer who has emerged as a prodigious tackler in the NFL.
Linebacker whose draft slotting will be a litmus test for how teams value tape and productivity against size deficiencies. Rodriguez carries a compact, sawed-off frame that is muscular but stubby. His transition from read to flow is seamless, with some of the cleanest GPS to the football in this draft. He’s straight-line fast but lacks the looseness for sudden lateral bursts, which could limit his range as an NFL tackler. He can play on third downs but is very average in that department. Rodriguez has been a career gap-hog, finding and finishing runners who come his way. His floor is as a good backup and core special teams player, but the smart bet might be to project his impact production to follow him into the league, with Rodriguez eventually starting as a 3-4 inside linebacker.
Pro Football Focus
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Pro Football Focus ranked Rodriguez as the No. 153 overall prospect in the draft class. They loved his high football IQ and ability to make impact plays in the largely defense-optional Big 12 Conference,
After four years as a starter, Rodriguez had his name legitimately in the conversation for best off-ball linebacker in college football in 2021. That’s how impactful he was on a down-to-down basis. Any and all concerns with him come with how he’ll project physically because the way he plays the game is already at veteran NFL levels. He finished third in the FBS with 66…
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