Ask most Detroit Lions fans what the weakest position group on the team is and you’re going to hear “linebacker” more than any other. But a late-round rookie is fixing to change that a lot faster than nearly anyone expected.
Malcolm Rodriguez has quickly, steadily climbed up the Lions’ depth chart at linebacker. From opening camp as one of the two third-team LBs to the end of the practices leading into Saturday’s second preseason game, Rodriguez is now taking first-team reps almost exclusively. And “Rodrigo”, as he’s become known from his starring role in the first two Hard Knocks episodes, is proving he belongs in the starting lineup of Detroit’s 4-2-5 defense.
Rodriguez was a tackling machine at Oklahoma State, a player with a preternatural sense of where the ball is going on every play. The superb instincts and quick reactions have already shown they translate very well to the NFL level for Rodriguez, Detroit’s sixth-round pick back in April.
His head coach, Dan Campbell, is definitely taking notice.
“Yeah, I would say he just continues to grow. He’s just – I would say at this point, he’s steady,” Campbell said of Rodriguez prior to Thursday’s joint practice with the Colts. “He’s pretty steady. He does what he’s being coached to do, and he just gets a little bit better every day, and memory-banks it and continues to go.”
In that practice, Rodriguez keyed an impressive red zone series where the Lions blanked the Colts offense. No. 44 shot through the line untouched and nearly took the handoff from QB Matt Ryan before quickly terminating the play for a tackle-for-loss.
People with no connection to the Lions or Rodriguez are taking notice, too.
After watching practice today & film from yesterday, the @Lions found a gem in late round LB Malcolm Rodriguez. Kid was always in the middle of the action. Has a Zach Thomas rookie year feel to him. #ScoutsTake pic.twitter.com/5PzM8JXJiF
— Bridge (@Bridge2Football) August 18, 2022
Being compared to Zach Thomas is lofty praise, but it’s not unfounded. They’re about the same size; Rodriguez is 5-11 and told us early in camp he’s playing at 232 pounds, while Thomas was listed at 5-11 and 228 pounds in his rookie season with the Miami Dolphins back in 1996.
Thomas proceeded to quickly overcome his fifth-round draft status and started, no–starred, right away for Jimmy Johnson’s Dolphins. He led the team with 154 total tackles and two sacks and finished second in the Defensive Rookie of the Year voting to Simeon Rice, who bagged 12.5 sacks.
Thomas would go onto a lengthy career with four first-team All-Pro nods by laying the groundwork for exactly how Rodriguez plays the game: smart, quick, tough. When we hear about Zach Thomas now, it’s in the conversation for being a Hall of Fame snub.
It’s way too early to look beyond even Week 1 for Rodriguez and the Lions. But it will be surprising if the good-natured rookie isn’t in the starting lineup when Detroit hosts the Philadelphia Eagles. Don’t be surprised if he leads the team in tackles that week, too.
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