Tag: Malcolm Rodriguez

Instant analysis of the Lions drafting Oklahoma State LB Malcolm Rodriguez

Instant analysis of the Lions drafting Oklahoma State LB Malcolm Rodriguez in the 6th round of the 2022 NFL draft

It took longer than many Detroit fans wanted, but the Lions finally went after help in the LB corps in the sixth round of the 2022 NFL draft. With a pick acquired in an earlier trade with the Philadelphia Eagles, the Lions used the No. 188 overall pick on Oklahoma State thumper Malcolm Rodriguez.

If you like hitting, Rodriguez is your kind of linebacker. A former wrestler, the 5-11, 230-pounder plays with bad intentions directed toward the opposing offense. He’s undersized but has tremendous physicality to his game and better power than guys much bigger than him.

Fitting with the Lions prototype under head coach Dan Campbell and GM Brad Holmes, Rodriguez also exudes football IQ on the field. He might be the best LB in the entire class at avoiding blocks and attacking the ball carrier. He doesn’t always get to the point of attack due to average foot speed and tight hips, which is a big reason why he fell to the sixth round.

He’s got real potential as a MIKE backer in 3-LB sets and in sub packages against teams in a heavy formation. Rodriguez is very limited in coverage. It’s easy to envision a platoon system with Rodriguez handling run-game duties and Shaun Dion Hamilton replacing him on passing downs.

I wrote this about Rodriguez last fall,

Rodriguez is an insanely productive off-ball backer with outstanding instincts and finishing power. He leads the Big 12 in total tackles and does so with a downhill style that makes Detroit fans salivate. Rodriguez plays with a chip on his shoulder and relentless energy. Coverage is not his forte, alas, and at 5-11 and 225 pounds that makes him a tougher sell to the NFL. Easy to see the Lions falling in love with Rodriguez in the fifth or sixth round.

Mission accomplished.

Lions select Oklahoma State LB Malcolm Rodriguez in the 6th round

Detroit added Oklahoma State LB Malcolm Rodriguez in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL draft

With the No. 188 overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft, the Detroit Lions tapped into the deep LB class with Oklahoma State’s Malcolm Rodriguez.

Rodriguez is an off-ball inside LB who plays with outstanding instincts and great power.

The pick was acquired in an earlier trade with the Philadelphia Eagles. Detroit also picked up an extra seventh-round pick in the deal.

Mock Draft Watch: Dane Brugler revamps Lions defense in 7 round mock

The Athletic’s Dane Brugler introduces his 7 round mock draft and provides the Detroit Lions with strong core players

The NFL draft is just a couple of weeks away, and everyone is trying to finalize what each team could do, which means mock drafts are plentiful. The latest mock draft comes from one of the most respected draft minds in the industry, The Athletic’s Dane Brugler, who recently released his annual draft guide “The Beast,” which is highly recommended.

He gives a crack at the possible draft haul for each team in his seven-round mock, and below are the players he decided to bestow to the Detroit Lions.

2: Travon Walker, Edge, Georgia
32: Jahan Dotson, WR, Penn State
34: Lewis Cine, S, Georgia
66: Leo Chenal, LB, Wisconsin
97: Akayleb Evans, CB, Missouri
177: Malcolm Rodriguez, LB, Oklahoma State
181: Haskell Garrett, DT, Ohio State
217: Chris Paul, OT/G, Tulsa
234: Trestan Ebner, RB, Baylor

Walker has seen his draft skyrocket after he showcased his superior athletic traits and his versatility skillset along the defensive line, making him a popular selection lately for the Lions. Many have doubts due to his limited production, but considering how stacked the Georgia defense was, that is something that shouldn’t be a knock against him. He can be the type of player that can be a cornerstone player for the Lions defense for years to come.

Even the Lions have brought back nearly their entire receiving corps from last year, along with the addition of D.J. Chark; it shouldn’t take them out of the running for a receiver, hence Dotson’s selection. We have seen Dotson mocked to the Lions numerous times for a very good reason. He is another versatile player maker that can line up anywhere at receiver and be equally productive. He will fit right in with the Lions offense with his strong route-running ability and ball skills.

If there is any position the Lions must address in the draft is safety, they cannot walk away from the draft without potentially upgrading the position. The Lions did resign Tracy Walker and just signed DeShon Elliot, but the addition of Lewis Cine gives the Lions a three-headed monster in the deep field that will give opposing offenses fits. He is one of those do-it-all players that cover and defend the run, making him an excellent chess piece.

Brugler decides to give the Lions two linebackers in Chenal and Rodriguez and continues the trend of revamping the defense. Chenal is not the most fine-tuned linebacker in the class, but he makes up for it with his downhill thumper mentality and diagnoses plays on the fly. Rodriguez led Oklahoma State in tackles for three straight years after moving from safety to linebacker. He doesn’t have the ideal length for some teams at linebacker, but his football instincts are very strong, and he has a toughness that fits in with the culture Detroit is trying to build.

Evans brings a unique blend of athleticism and versatility due to his blend of superior length and speed that can make him an asset in the secondary. He may not have plays that some teams like, but this combination makes him an enticing prospect. Garrett was highly regarded coming out of high school, but unfortunately, he couldn’t put everything as many wanted to at Ohio State. He needs to improve his pass rush arsenal but can be quick in and out of blocks, has some strong burst, and can be a rotational piece.

We flip the script with the last two picks and address the offense with the selections of Paul and Ebner. You can never have enough versatile linemen, and that is exactly what Paul brings to the table. He played mostly left tackle at Tulsa, but he projects better as a guard due to his lack of movement skills. Ebner is the type of player the Lions can develop into an offensive weapon with his pass-catching ability and special team’s prowess. He won’t make strictly off just running backs but provides a set of skills that make him a dangerous player.

Lions 2022 draft: A linebacker for every round

It’s a fantastic LB draft class, arguably the deepest crop of talent at any position in this entire draft

The next position in the “prospect for every round of the 2022 NFL draft” series for the Detroit Lions is a popular one: Linebacker. And it’s a fantastic draft class to need one, arguably the deepest crop of talent at any position in this entire draft.

With the team’s all-time leading tackler, former starting LB Chris Spielman, as part of the decision-making team in the front office, it’s easy to see the Lions looking intently at the linebacker class. An upgrade to the corps would certainly be a welcome addition.

There isn’t much room on the roster, however. The Lions brought back Alex Anzalone, Josh Woods and Shaun Dion Hamilton and also signed free agents Chris Board and Jarrad Davis. They join Barnes, who the team is counting on to make a big step forward in his second season. For a team that will primarily have just two LBs on the field, that’s a lot of investment for 2022 already. And the coaching staff sincerely likes them all, too.

Lions 2022 NFL draft: A safety for every round

Lions 2022 NFL draft: A quarterback for every round

Lions 2022 NFL draft: A wide receiver for every round

Lions 2022 NFL draft: A tight end for every round

Note: These are off-ball LBs, not players whose primary role will be rushing the passer. Think of them as inside LBs, though in the new-look 4-man front they will also be charged with making plays outside the tackle box and covering tight ends and RBs near the line of scrimmage.

As with the rest of the entries in this series, the purpose here isn’t to advocate for any one player. Instead, it’s designed to show the relative talent level that should be available in different rounds of the draft. The Lions do not currently have a fourth-round pick, so consider that entry here as the team’s pick at No. 97 at the end of the third round.

Chiefs 2022 7-round mock draft v2.0: Post-Tyreek Hill trade edition

Our @goldmctNFL reveals his 7-round 2022 mock draft 2.0 for the #Chiefs and the first since the Tyreek Hill trade:

There are less than 30 days to go until the first round of the 2022 NFL draft.

The Kansas City Chiefs have loaded up on draft picks due to the Tyreek Hill trade, but they’ve also created an even greater need at the wide receiver position. This mock draft looks quite a bit different from our 1.0, not just because of the new draft picks, but also given our recent look at the 90-man offseason roster. There are plenty of needs to consider, both for the upcoming season, but also for the future in Kansas City.

In order to gauge player availability for the mock draft, I ran multiple simulations using the various mock draft machines to create a composite. If players weren’t available with regularity, they were eliminated from contention at a specific pick. Typically, I’d have 8-10 players on my big board to choose from at a given pick, though in Round 7 the pool is significantly larger.

Without further delay, here’s a look at our mock draft version 2.0:

Fiesta Bowl: Fourth-Quarter Analysis

That’s all, folks.

It’s natural that there will be some growing pains as Marcus Freeman settles into his new role as Notre Dame head coach. Some of them will happen on the field, and some will happen off of it. The Fiesta Bowl was one of those on-field occurrences as the Irish gave up 30 unanswered points while falling, 37-35, to Oklahoma State. The Irish’s major bowl drought will live for another year after they blew the biggest lead in program history.

The fourth quarter began with one of the craziest sequences you’ll see in football. With the Irish (11-2) driving, Logan Diggs literally had the ball ripped from him by Kolby Harvell-Peel, giving the Cowboys (12-2) good field position. The ensuing drive went well for the Pokes until the last possible moment. Brennan Presley was about to score a touchdown on a run when Drew White forced a fumble, which was recovered by Ramon Henderson in the end zone for a touchback.

Jack Coan, who set a Fiesta Bowl record with 509 passing yards, nearly gave the Irish lead back on a long throw to Lorenzo Styles, but Styles couldn’t complete the catch. That was as good as it got for the offense on that drive, and Jay Bramblett had to come out for another punt. The Cowboys reached the red zone on the drive that followed, but a face-mask penalty knocked them out of there. The Irish were able to prevent the Pokes from getting back there, but Tanner Brown kicked a 41-yard field goal to get something out of the trip downfield.

The Irish’s offense went with an all-pass attack on the next drive, and that worked for a while as it got the ball to the Cowboys’ 24-yard line. However, the next two plays were disastrous for Coan. First, he was sacked by Brock Martin for the second time in the game. Then, he threw an interception to Malcolm Rodriguez, snuffing out the Irish’s best chance to score the entire second half.

The drive that followed was all about eating the clock and getting any number of points to erase any doubt about the game’s outcome. As he had since late in the first half, Spencer Sanders did a fantastic job managing his offense, completing long passes and even calling his own number when needed to. It was that last item that erased all of that progress because he fumbled the ball at the Irish’s 11, and White recovered it.

Blessed with a break, it was up to the Irish to make something happen. What happened was nothing because after a 4-yard completion to Chris Tyree to advance the ball to the 15, Coan threw three straight incomplete passes. The Cowboys took over in the red zone but didn’t do anything fancy. They just ran the ball and forced the Irish to use all of their timeouts, paving the way for a 25-yard field goal from Brown.

With 2:16 left, the Irish absolutely needed a score to still have a chance at the win. Coan completed a couple of first-down passes, and Diggs even gave the pass-heavy offense a bonus with a 14-yard run. The Irish got further help from a defensive holding call, and Coan capped the drive with a 25-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Austin. Only 71 seconds had gone off the clock, so this game hadn’t quite been decided yet.

The Irish needed to recover an onside kick, but Jason Taylor got his hands on it before the ball even traveled the necessary 10 yards. All the Cowboys had to do was kneel a couple of times, and they did just that before celebrating the biggest comeback in program history. That definitely is not something the Irish wanted to be on the receiving end of, but that’s how it goes in football. Onto 2022.

Know your foe, Oklahoma State: Which Cowboys could give Notre Dame issues

These Cowboys won’t make life easy for the Irish

The day is finally here, after waiting over a month, the Irish hit the field on New Year’s day to take on the Oklahoma State Cowboys. The Big XII runners-up will be a challenge for Notre Dame, who has a current 7-game winning streak. They haven’t faced a ranked team since their only loss of the season, to College Football Playoff participant Cincinnati, so the quality of opponent will be much different. Find out below which Cowboys could give the Irish issues in the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl.