(Editor's Note: While the start of the 2026 NFL Draft isn't until late April, it's never too early to profile some of the key participants. The staff of DallasCowboys.com intends to preview the landscape of the draft's top prospects, with an emphasis on possible Cowboys draft picks – from the first round to the last. Today's featured players are Texas LB Anthony Hill Jr. and CB Malik Muhammad.)
LUBBOCK, Texas – In 2025, the Texas Tech Red Raiders' defense saw a massive turnaround. The unit finished as the third-best in the country and catapulted them to the program's first ever appearance in the College Football Playoffs.
The man at the center of it all was linebacker Jacob Rodriguez, a Wichita Falls, Texas native who won the Butkus award in 2025, given to the nation's top collegiate linebacker, and finished fifth in Heisman Trophy voting, capturing the hearts of college football fans and cementing a strong legacy in Lubbock.
Even with all the success Rodriguez has had in his final two years of college, Rodriguez found more excitement from his teammates' success at Texas Tech's pro day on Thursday rather than his own.
"I was more happy about all those other guys. [Linebacker[ Bryce Ramirez had a day, [wide receiver] Caleb Douglas had a day. It was nice to have more than 100 NFL staff, personnel out here and looking at the guys that we've got, especially those four up front, and how everything happens that way. I think I had a good day, but man it was a lot of fun to watch all those other guys."
Rodriguez himself only participated in the bench press portion of athletic testing at pro day, hitting the mark he had set for himself with 23 reps. The night before, he had dinner with the Cowboys, led by head coach Brian Schottenheimer.
"It was fun," Rodriguez said of his dinner with Dallas. "It was really great to be in the building and sitting at dinner with a head coach in the NFL. Five year old, 10 year old me would be really happy, really proud. I was happy to be there. I loved it, loved all the conversations and looking forward to more."
Rodriguez is now well away from his five-year-old and ten-year-old self, but what would he say to the younger version of himself if he had the chance?
"I'd say I'm proud of him. Just keep working, this is only the beginning," Rodriguez said. "College football was a crazy ride, specifically for me and other people, but man, it was so much fun… The goal was always to play in the NFL. And so now you're just now starting out and you're starting over, you've just got to work hard."
One element of the game that Rodriguez is especially intentional about is turning the ball over. Sure, 255 tackles and six sacks and two seasons is good for any linebacker, but Rodriguez' 10 forced fumbles and five interceptions in the last two years have stood out to NFL teams in the pre-draft process.
"I think a lot of teams like how I can take the football away. That's a huge difference in winning football games, is winning the turnover battle," Rodriguez said. "That's a big thing that we talk about, is different ways to be able to do that, and then also where I can plug and play in different spots. Some teams see me in certain positions, some teams see me in others, whatever the case may be I'm more excited to play on defense, but then be able to find a role on special teams and really help out any way we can to win football games."
Regardless of where it is he lines up, Rodriguez' approach to attacking the football and looking to pry it away from his opponent won't change.
"I think you have to do it every play," Rodriguez said. "I would say the hard part is getting to the football, the reward for getting to the football is taking a chance of taking it away. I think that's how you should play the game of football, I don't think you should ever be on your heels as a defensive player, I think you should be out attacking the ball every chance you get."
When the time comes for Rodriguez's name to be called in next month's NFL Draft, it'll be a fulfilling moment for Rodriguez regardless of which team ends up placing the call to him.
"It would mean a lot to play for any team… the NFL is so competitive and so hard to play in that if you can get in anywhere, you join a fraternity that not many get to join," Rodriguez said. "I'd love to play for any team and just be anywhere I can to help a team win."
With a need at linebacker, the Cowboys are a team that could make sense for Rodriguez, and Dallas has three top 100 picks to work with. If he's available, one question Rodriguez believes he won't have to answer wherever he's drafted is whether or not he can fit in the defensive scheme.
"I think I fit in anywhere," Rodriguez said. "I think I can be a puzzle piece that can play multiple positions and multiple schemes. I don't think I'm just confined to one position and one style of defense. I think the ball production and the tape just kind of speaks for who I am as a person and who I am as a player."
