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Making Monsters Draft Series: Jacob Rodriguez and Texas Tech's Top Prospects · 2nd City Gridiron

• 0:10
  [SPEAKER_01]: All right, welcome back everybody to another episode of Making Monsters on Taylor Doll.
• 0:14
  [SPEAKER_01]: And we are joined today by Choice Woodman.
• 0:16
  [SPEAKER_01]: He covers Texas Tech Football for multiple for double 97, three the score and also part of Texas Tech radio broadcast.
• 0:24
  [SPEAKER_01]: Which, choice, thanks for hopping on.
• 0:26
  [SPEAKER_01]: There's a lot several Texas Tech prospects this season that we're gonna be talking about getting ready for the draft.
• 0:31
  [SPEAKER_01]: So thanks for taking the time and chatting with me.
• 0:34
  [SPEAKER_00]: Glad to be here Taylor.
• 0:35
  [SPEAKER_01]: We're continuing on obviously my draft series.
• 0:38
  [SPEAKER_01]: I'm covering talking to 17 possibly 18 different schools on the prospects this year.
• 0:43
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's a little bit different than normal years because the bears have picked in the top 10 quite a bit and recent years and this year they're not.
• 0:49
  [SPEAKER_01]: So it's a little bit different.
• 0:50
  [SPEAKER_01]: It opens obviously different ways that
• 0:52
  [SPEAKER_01]: We can go at that 25th pick.
• 0:55
  [SPEAKER_01]: So I want to start just in general.
• 0:56
  [SPEAKER_01]: I like to ask in case, you know, a lot of people maybe not watch Texas Tech football every weekend.
• 1:02
  [SPEAKER_01]: And so just getting a more general idea of what that team was that a lot of defensive players in the draft that are being talked about Texas Tech.
• 1:10
  [SPEAKER_01]: had one of the highest, the second highest, I believe scoring defenses in college football last year.
• 1:15
  [SPEAKER_01]: So a lot of good players coming off of that, that defensive front, especially.
• 1:20
  [SPEAKER_01]: So chat a little bit about that.
• 1:22
  [SPEAKER_01]: The Texas tech defense, how it worked, what, you know, kind of what made that defense tick as a whole.
• 1:27
  [SPEAKER_00]: You know, I think what really worked for the Texas Tech Defenses here.
• 1:30
  [SPEAKER_00]: First off, tech was, is known as an offensive school since the Mike Leach days.
• 1:35
  [SPEAKER_00]: It's been an offensive school since pretty well 2000 on.
• 1:38
  [SPEAKER_00]: So this has been different for all the Texas tech fans to kind of lock into defense, but joining a lawyer made a real emphasis on that this year.
• 1:47
  [SPEAKER_00]: used the rules to the advantage, spent some money, went to the transfer portal, and brought in a lot of pieces that fit really well together.
• 1:55
  [SPEAKER_00]: And I think that's one thing that was impressive, as you saw, a tandem unit that was able to feed off of each other.
• 2:03
  [SPEAKER_00]: Like David Bailey was,
• 2:04
  [SPEAKER_00]: really good within this defense because he had another pass rusher on the other side.
• 2:09
  [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, don't give me wrong David Bailey is I think the best pass rusher in the draft, but Romello height helps him out where he gets more one on ones and they feed off of each other.
• 2:18
  [SPEAKER_00]: Also, the linebacking core was probably as good as you'll see in the country led by Jacob Rodriguez, who's built up to this this passing season has seen your year or he forced
• 2:31
  [SPEAKER_00]: or was part of as many turnovers as several teams in the country, he was a turnover machine and the back end was really good for Texas Tech as well, so it was a unit that was
• 2:45
  [SPEAKER_00]: ultra impressive and it was one that I think as you see with on a lot of draft prospect boards that there really wasn't much of a hole in that defense this year.
• 2:58
  [SPEAKER_00]: So I think that's what's showing and why so many of these guys are going to get drafted.
• 3:03
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, it is and it's almost went opposite with the bears.
• 3:05
  [SPEAKER_01]: The bears we've been used to good defenseers and not good offenses and the now all of a sudden the offense went from
• 3:11
  [SPEAKER_01]: 31st scoring to 9th with Ben Johnson and obviously Kail Williams in year two and the defense struggled.
• 3:17
  [SPEAKER_01]: They got a lot of takeaways, but outside of that they couldn't stop the run.
• 3:20
  [SPEAKER_01]: The coverage was broken up a lot of times.
• 3:22
  [SPEAKER_01]: It wasn't very good.
• 3:23
  [SPEAKER_01]: There's a lot of struggles around some of that injury, but you can't always believe it on everything injury.
• 3:27
  [SPEAKER_01]: I want to start with David Bailey just because I think he's out of the range of Chicago.
• 3:31
  [SPEAKER_01]: I'm going to be drafted too high.
• 3:32
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think for them to get him.
• 3:33
  [SPEAKER_01]: But
• 3:34
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's going to be a conversation, you know, do the bears want to trade up.
• 3:36
  [SPEAKER_01]: They do have a couple second round picks.
• 3:38
  [SPEAKER_01]: They traded away.
• 3:39
  [SPEAKER_01]: DJ Moore got a second from the bills.
• 3:41
  [SPEAKER_01]: Do they try and move up?
• 3:42
  [SPEAKER_01]: They really love one of the past wrestlers that sit at the top and so I do want to chat with him about about him a little bit.
• 3:47
  [SPEAKER_01]: Three years at Stanford for him, you mentioned, they went and got him this last offseason, 14 and a half sex with Texas Tech this last season.
• 3:55
  [SPEAKER_01]: So what do you see his biggest strengths and what really works for him?
• 3:58
  [SPEAKER_01]: Because we see different ways
• 4:04
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think where you really see the, what's impressive with David Bailey is the twitch.
• 4:09
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think he's just so quick.
• 4:11
  [SPEAKER_00]: It's, it's, there's moments where it looks like he is literally shot out of a cannon.
• 4:17
  [SPEAKER_00]: And that's how quick he is to the quarterback.
• 4:19
  [SPEAKER_00]: But he does have bull rush strength as well.
• 4:22
  [SPEAKER_00]: You saw the sacks come in a variety of different ways.
• 4:26
  [SPEAKER_00]: And, and what's, what's kind of crazy about David Bailey and those 14 and
• 4:33
  [SPEAKER_00]: that he could have had 18 or 19 sacks this year, but Romelo Heights or even Lee Hunter just got there a tick quicker on certain plays.
• 4:42
  [SPEAKER_00]: And I think you could say the same for the other guys that they could have had a few more sacks.
• 4:46
  [SPEAKER_00]: But it was, it was that kind of year for David Bailey where he really got to excel in the, in the Red Raiders defense.
• 4:53
  [SPEAKER_00]: But I think he's one
• 4:55
  [SPEAKER_00]: It will be able to excel wherever he goes.
• 4:57
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think he is the best pass rusher in this class.
• 5:00
  [SPEAKER_00]: I'd be surprised if he's sitting there after really pick five or so.
• 5:04
  [SPEAKER_00]: So teams are gonna have to trade up probably if you really want him if it's not the jet.
• 5:10
  [SPEAKER_00]: So the cardinals pretty early on.
• 5:12
  [SPEAKER_00]: But he has just an explosiveness to him.
• 5:17
  [SPEAKER_00]: That, and if you look at some of the, if you believe in any of the pro football focus grades and those sorts of things,
• 5:25
  [SPEAKER_00]: Greated true past rusher since guys like Miles Garrett and Von Miller in college, so some pretty high praise and some good names that he's in the mix with.
• 5:36
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, one of the comps for the one draft profile I saw had a comp to Dallas Turner, which obviously the couple years ago that Dallas Turner Jared verse were two of the ad rusher's talked in that and the one that Jared verse was linked a little bit more to being able to set the edge and maybe a little bit better against the run.
• 5:52
  [SPEAKER_01]: How is Bailey in that area?
• 5:54
  [SPEAKER_00]: I honestly think that that's that's one an area that he's underrated in.
• 5:59
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think he you look at some of the tackles for loss he had and part of that does come with having a good interior feet off of guys like.
• 6:07
  [SPEAKER_00]: like Lee Hunter and Anthony Holmes, it was at Texas Tech this year and he'll be back for another year.
• 6:13
  [SPEAKER_00]: But I think when you look at Davis, David Bailey and his ability to just find his way into the backfield and because of his just pure athleticism and quick twitch, even if he's out of position at times, he's been able to get back and get a running back down really quickly.
• 6:29
  [SPEAKER_00]: So maybe his positioning needs to be a little bit better against the run, but sometimes he can make up for it
• 6:37
  [SPEAKER_01]: So moving on to some of these other defensive players, because like I said, they're several.
• 6:41
  [SPEAKER_01]: These next two I've seen link to the bears.
• 6:43
  [SPEAKER_01]: They fit more in that range where they're picking, obviously defensive linemenly hunter, three years at UCF for hand transfer to Texas Tech, the last season.
• 6:51
  [SPEAKER_01]: Also, I've seen him mocked in quite a few to Chicago.
• 6:54
  [SPEAKER_01]: Most people project him as a three tech.
• 6:57
  [SPEAKER_01]: Is this where he played mainly for you guys?
• 7:00
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yes, yeah, that's that's where he was.
• 7:03
  [SPEAKER_00]: He's kind of your true nose guard type of guy that will go up and try to stuff the middle.
• 7:12
  [SPEAKER_00]: He's one that I think can get after the the passer a little bit more than a typical defensive tackle, but he's he's also a guy that that'll plug the holes his numbers look okay from the combine.
• 7:25
  [SPEAKER_00]: But I think when what really stands out when you watch Lee Hunters just the film, guys just don't get by him.
• 7:31
  [SPEAKER_00]: He's nicknamed, here's a good nickname form as the fridge.
• 7:36
  [SPEAKER_00]: And they've kind of copied that off at Texas Tech.
• 7:41
  [SPEAKER_00]: But I think that he is just a fridge to move.
• 7:45
  [SPEAKER_00]: And you don't really see offensive lineman being able to move Lee Hunters that well.
• 7:50
  [SPEAKER_00]: So I think that's where he's
• 7:52
  [SPEAKER_00]: he really helps out a second level a lot and helps line backers, but he also makes tackles and makes plays.
• 7:58
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, two of the terms that I saw linked to him the most is the clogging gaps term, which we, that's what you want from those interior guys, and then obviously when it comes against the run game, and that's as I mentioned earlier, the bear struggled with that a lot last year.
• 8:13
  [SPEAKER_01]: They have Dr.
• 8:13
  [SPEAKER_01]: Von Dexter out of Florida, who I think can be a really good player, but he needs that help aside him of someone who can really
• 8:20
  [SPEAKER_01]: kind of lean into that and maybe he can focus on creating some pressure a little bit more.
• 8:24
  [SPEAKER_01]: So when it comes to, would you say the equal amount between the run and also being able to do some of those things when it means, even if it's moving the quarterback out of the pocket, you want to see a little bit more from that.
• 8:34
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I do think that he can get in the backfield and disrupt the past when he needs to.
• 8:40
  [SPEAKER_00]: He's he's pretty good in both areas.
• 8:43
  [SPEAKER_00]: I'd say he's about as balanced of a player on the defensive front as you'll get.
• 8:49
  [SPEAKER_00]: So I think that that's a.
• 8:51
  [SPEAKER_00]: If you're looking for a quick pass rusher from the interior, which is not not that much of a thing, or it doesn't happen that often, he's not your guy, but he is one that can get there in a quick explosion.
• 9:05
  [SPEAKER_00]: If you have to chase a mobile quarterback down, probably not your guy.
• 9:09
  [SPEAKER_01]: And that's what we're seeing a lot of now that the athleticism that some of these defensive linemen have to have to be a little more athletic than they used to be because of the quarterbacks and the way they move.
• 9:19
  [SPEAKER_01]: I want to talk about Jacob Rodriguez.
• 9:21
  [SPEAKER_01]: He's another one.
• 9:22
  [SPEAKER_01]: A linebacker obviously that has been I've seen him mocked in the first round early second round.
• 9:27
  [SPEAKER_01]: I've seen him kind of in that range multi roll linebacker.
• 9:30
  [SPEAKER_01]: So I don't think anybody's truly specified that I've seen where that he has to be pigeonholed in one area.
• 9:36
  [SPEAKER_01]: So chat a little bit about
• 9:39
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I think he's, he's your true, heady, perfect instinct middle linebacker, where you look at where Jacob Rodriguez excelled.
• 9:49
  [SPEAKER_00]: It's in the film and it is his athleticism, I think is where there were a lot of question marks and then he goes and runs in the four, sixes and a 40 at the combine and that opened a lot of eyes and say, hey, this guy can actually move some as a middle linebacker as well.
• 10:08
  [SPEAKER_00]: can't be matched as his leadership.
• 10:10
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think Jacob Rodriguez is as good of a leader as you'll find.
• 10:14
  [SPEAKER_00]: If you watch all the the pieces and stuff he's married to a black hawk helicopter pilot and there's there's a great story that's there that I encourage bear's fans to look up if you're if you're wanting Jacob Rodriguez as your linebacker but there's a ton of leadership that comes with him but he it's not just oh that's that's what you get is just a leader.
• 10:35
  [SPEAKER_00]: I, you look at some, at how he plays the game, I would comp him a lot to loop geekly.
• 10:41
  [SPEAKER_00]: He is, and that's high praise, but I'm telling you, Jacob Rodriguez, if I am a GM, he is, as, who, I would take him in a first round of a draft.
• 10:53
  [SPEAKER_00]: I truly would.
• 10:54
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think he is, as good of a player as you can get.
• 10:57
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think you found, I think, looking at some of the conversations,
• 11:01
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think I would be surprised if he escapes the first round because he checks every single box you're going to find and I think he's going to be one of those linebackers in the NFL that's around to stay for a long time.
• 11:16
  [SPEAKER_00]: You're going to find a team or two that's going to fall in love with him and probably take him at the back end of the first round.
• 11:22
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, Luke quickly is a name that will perk up a lot of people when they hear that of one of the best linebackers in college football and in the NFL.
• 11:30
  [SPEAKER_01]: He was one of the things I read about him too was being he was a dual threat quarterback and high school, which I think is cool because I love seeing and you see the you know guys in high school play both sides of the ball quite often.
• 11:40
  [SPEAKER_01]: But for somebody like that, I think it does
• 11:42
  [SPEAKER_01]: It kind of alters the vision they have because they've seen the the field and so many different ways and I do think that's a linebacker just being able to kind of predict in a way of what the quarterback can be doing can do that's a great point Taylor I think that is a big part of his game is is you can see that that he knows what a quarterback's going to do you watch some of the film on on.
• 12:05
  [SPEAKER_00]: Um, Rodriguez and his ability to read the pastor and anticipate what's going to happen is extremely, um, elite at playing against the past.
• 12:17
  [SPEAKER_00]: And I think he wasn't just a quarterback in high school, he actually started his college career as a quarterback at Virginia before he transferred to Texas Tech, which is probably helps out there as well.
• 12:30
  [SPEAKER_00]: But something that I don't think any player in the country and he may step into the NFL and be top five in the NFL at this is punching the ball out.
• 12:41
  [SPEAKER_00]: He's able to punch the ball out at such an elite level
• 12:47
  [SPEAKER_00]: Anyone do it quite the same as him.
• 12:51
  [SPEAKER_01]: Uh, peanut punch is something we talk about quite often in Chicago when it comes obviously Charles Tillman kind of coined that term of how he liked to get the ball out at something that bears players in fans lean into very heavily.
• 13:03
  [SPEAKER_01]: So yeah, it is interesting.
• 13:04
  [SPEAKER_01]: And I thought I was like, I thought I read that he did in college too at Virginia.
• 13:07
  [SPEAKER_01]: So yeah, you even get it at the next level when it comes to the quarterback side of things.
• 13:12
  [SPEAKER_01]: Um, he had five tracks in 2024, uh, one side out, one outside of that was he used a
• 13:21
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I think so.
• 13:23
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think because of the personnel, you didn't have to have him blitz as much and it's it's a completely different defense.
• 13:30
  [SPEAKER_00]: So they went from from one defense in and change defensive coordinators in 25.
• 13:35
  [SPEAKER_00]: So didn't the previous defensive coordinator Tim Deruter blitz them a little bit more.
• 13:40
  [SPEAKER_00]: really didn't have to or try to let's near as much, but the ability is there.
• 13:46
  [SPEAKER_00]: So if you needed Rodriguez to go after the quarterback, I think that's something to his game that didn't utilize near as much in the 2025 season that still is there.
• 13:57
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, when you have three, four guys up front that are getting sacked, you probably don't have to blitz your life back or something like that.
• 14:04
  [SPEAKER_01]: Um, what's speaking of, I want to talk about Ramella Heights, uh, uh, the other edge guy, 10 sacks last season, started at Auburn, USC, Georgia Tech, and this just career at test.
• 14:14
  [SPEAKER_01]: This is the world of college football.
• 14:15
  [SPEAKER_01]: We live and now we're seeing multiple stops for that.
• 14:18
  [SPEAKER_01]: So let's try a little bit about that across from David Bailey.
• 14:20
  [SPEAKER_01]: We talk about the interior past rush that gets there.
• 14:23
  [SPEAKER_01]: That does help guys, but what does he do best?
• 14:27
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I'd say he is as much, I mean, the journeyman thing doesn't really represent who he is.
• 14:33
  [SPEAKER_00]: He's a really good guy that I think is just tried to find his ditch in different locations.
• 14:40
  [SPEAKER_00]: And finally, found one at Texas Tech, and part of it has been a fitting off of having another pastor, usher on the other side.
• 14:48
  [SPEAKER_00]: But if you're looking for guys that pass the eye test, getting off of the bus, this is as big of a,
• 14:55
  [SPEAKER_00]: a great god type of body that you're going to see.
• 14:58
  [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, he is absolutely intimidating when you look at him, but he also matches that with the physicality that he has, and he is really good.
• 15:10
  [SPEAKER_00]: once he gets by, if he can get by the first guy, he gets that full head of steam and can get downhill to the quarterback.
• 15:18
  [SPEAKER_00]: So I think there's still a little bit of teaching to go on Romella Heights that you don't have if you're drafting a David Bailey, obviously, that reflects in their their projections, but I think Romella Heights has potential to be a really long-term option as a past Russia at the NFL level.
• 15:35
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, so for people that don't know around 6 3 2 39, but he ran a 4 6 4 and had a 39 vertical.
• 15:42
  [SPEAKER_01]: So if that tells you anything about some of the things that he would be able to do, do you think that teams would be concerned at all with the movement in the sense of there wasn't a ton of production before that and it took a defense that had a lot of other pieces for him to get production.
• 15:57
  [SPEAKER_01]: Do you think some teams will be hesitant in that.
• 15:59
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think at the NFL level, there's a lot that comes down to fit, so I think it would matter for a MeloHeight, particularly, I'm not saying he can't do it, but I don't know that he's going to be able to have as much success drawing double teams as David Bailey would.
• 16:18
  [SPEAKER_00]: But he can be an excellent complimentary piece.
• 16:21
  [SPEAKER_00]: If you've already got one pass rush or a good interior, he's still going to be able to get after the quarterback.
• 16:27
  [SPEAKER_00]: And I think he is a good third down specialist if teams wanted to use him in that way.
• 16:33
  [SPEAKER_01]: All right, Tracy, before I let you go, any other Texas tech prospects that there's a several left in here, maybe some a little deeper, even developmental.
• 16:41
  [SPEAKER_01]: But that you think it would be worth a team to draft that you think will do well at the next level.
• 16:46
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think one guy that's maybe the most underrated right now on the defensive side of the ball for for Texas Tech is is Cole Wiss and Eski he's he's he's the only one of kind of these names out there that we talked about that didn't get it invite to the draft combine and I'm still not sure why he is but his year before Texas Tech he was actually injured two years before that he was at North Dakota State.
• 17:09
  [SPEAKER_00]: and let all of college football and interceptions.
• 17:12
  [SPEAKER_00]: He wasn't a big interception guy at Texas Tech because there wasn't near as many opportunities for him as a safety.
• 17:18
  [SPEAKER_00]: But I do think but he was he was extremely instrumental in getting some of those turnovers forcing fumbles and he also was as good of a tackler as you'll find at the safety position in this draft class across the board.
• 17:34
  [SPEAKER_00]: So if you're looking for a good physical safety he stands at
• 17:39
  [SPEAKER_00]: a big body guy.
• 17:41
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think he's a really good option.
• 17:43
  [SPEAKER_00]: I don't think he's going to go until probably the the fourth round or beyond.
• 17:47
  [SPEAKER_00]: But he would be a pretty good get for any team.
• 17:51
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think and he's at minimum.
• 17:53
  [SPEAKER_00]: A guy that will hang around in the league to me.
• 17:56
  [SPEAKER_00]: Nine, ten years special teams at minimum.
• 18:00
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, it looks safety is somewhere the bears.
• 18:01
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think also will be looking.
• 18:03
  [SPEAKER_01]: They lost both Kevin Bayard and Jokwan Risker.
• 18:05
  [SPEAKER_01]: this last season they've grown and you place that with Kobe Bryant and they went and got Cameloo as to what I do think that another young safety is they might be looking towards as he more of a free or strong do you think he can versatile.
• 18:17
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think he's a versatile but I think you'd see him probably a little bit more in the free safety role.
• 18:23
  [SPEAKER_01]: Okay.
• 18:23
  [SPEAKER_00]: But he could do either.
• 18:25
  [SPEAKER_01]: All right, all right, well, choice, I really appreciate it.
• 18:27
  [SPEAKER_01]: Lots of guys I feel like I wouldn't be totally shocked if they end up with the Texas Tech Road Raider because there's so many of them.
• 18:33
  [SPEAKER_01]: But I appreciate your time and I hope you have a good rest of the build up to the draft.
• 18:38
  [SPEAKER_00]: Oh, yes, thank you.
• 18:39
  [SPEAKER_00]: Thanks for having me, Taylor.