There aren’t many more intriguing prospects in the 2026 NFL draft than Texas Tech inside linebacker Jacob Rodriguez — a do-it-all athlete who seems ready-made to make plays in the middle of an NFL defense.
That’s why ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper Jr.’s latest mock draft has Rodriguez going to the Buccaneers in the 2nd round with the No. 46 overall pick.
“Lavonte David retired this offseason, ushering in a new era at linebacker for the Buccaneers,” Kiper wrote. “Tampa Bay signed Alex Anzalone, and now it can add a true tackling elite. Rodriguez ranked second in tackles in the FBS over the past two seasons (252).”
Rodriguez, 6-foot-1 and 230 pounds, would be a ready-made replacement for the recently retired Lavonte David, who played all 14 seasons of his NFL career with the Buccaneers.
Recent History Backs Up Bucs Taking Inside LB
The Buccaneers might look at their own recent history as the best evidence of why they should take Rodriguez in the early rounds.
The last time the Buccaneers drafted an inside linebacker in the 1st 2 rounds it was LSU’s Devin White at No. 5 overall in the 2019 NFL draft. That move kicked off 1 of the great 4-season runs for a defensive player in franchise history.
White had 93 tackles in 13 games as a rookie and showed a knack for making game-changing plays with 1 interception, 3 forced fumbles, and 4 fumble recoveries, including 2 fumbles returned for touchdowns.
White was 1 of the NFL’s dominant inside linebackers in 2020 with 140 tackles on the way to earning NFL All-Pro honors and helping lead the Buccaneers to a Super Bowl win.
In 2021, he earned his first Pro Bowl nod with 128 tackles, then followed that with 123 tackles in 2022.
While White’s bad attitude and unrealistic contract demands eventually led to his exit after the 2023 season, it’s hard not to look at his first 4 seasons as worth the price of admission.
NFL Draft Expert Calls J-Rod ‘Long Term Solution’
In his final college football season, Rodriguez not only led the Red Raiders to the College Football Playoff for the 1st time in program history but also was a unanimous All-American, Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, and won the Nagurski Trophy as well as the Butkus Award, Lombardi Award, and Chuck Bednarik Award.
He elevated his draft stock with a bravura performance at the NFL scouting combine, where he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.57 seconds and registered a 38.5-inch vertical leap.
NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein projects Rodriguez as a 2nd round pick and compared him to Cleveland Browns inside linebacker and 2025 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Carson Schwesinger in a pre-draft evaluation.
Schwesinger was a 2nd round pick (No. 33 overall) in 2025.
“Rodriguez arrived in college as an offensive ‘athlete’ and leaves Texas Tech as a bigger-than-life, stat-stuffing linebacker,” Zierlein wrote. “He’s uniquely productive, with elite tackle, interception and forced fumble production. He’ll occasionally bounce out of a run fit when chasing action, but he has the burst to race back inside and finish. He’s slippery working off blocks and navigating combo climbers. His lateral pursuit leaves the station on time and with a fast take-off … he projects as a long-term starting inside linebacker.”
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