Chris Rodriguez Jr. NFL Draft 2023: Scouting Report for Kentucky RB

HEIGHT: 6'0"

WEIGHT: 217

HAND: 8 5/8"

ARM: 30 5/8"

WINGSPAN: N/A

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40-YARD DASH: N/A

3-CONE: N/A

SHUTTLE: N/A

VERTICAL: N/A

BROAD: N/A

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POSITIVES

— Good balance and coordination. Generally finds a way to stay upright.

— Above-average power and upper-body strength. Can muscle his way out of tackles or push piles.

— Downhill runner. Rarely wastes time behind the line; plays behind his pads.

— Functional lateral ability for his size. Can maneuver behind the line comfortably.

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NEGATIVES

— Poor burst and long speed. No real juice to pull off explosive gains.

— Below-average change of direction. Can struggle to settle and explode in a new direction.

— Uninspiring second- and third-level vision. Often just hunts for contact instead of space.

— Below-average receiver. Rarely asked to do it; hands looked uncomfortable in limited sample.

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2023 STATISTICS

— 8 G, 175 ATT, 904 YDS (5.2 AVG), 6 TD; 5 REC, 41 YDS, 0 TD

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NOTES

— DOB: September 26, 2000

— 3-star recruit in 2018 class, per 247Sports' composite rankings

— 19 career starts

— 2021 first-team All-SEC (AP, USA Today Network); 2021 second-team All-SEC (Coaches)

— Plead guilty to a DUI in July 2022

— Suspended for the first four games of 2022

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OVERALL

Chris Rodriguez is a big, bruising running back with little else to offer right now.

Rodriguez plays to his 217-pound frame. He is a downhill back. Rodriguez rarely dilly-dallies behind the line of scrimmage, and he is plenty willing to drop his pad level to plow through a cluttered mess. Though he isn't prime Steven Jackson, Rodriguez does fairly well to move piles, brush off single tacklers who don't hit him square and fall forward. His combination of downhill decisiveness and strength allow him to avoid negative plays and churn out consistent gains.

Rodriguez also has solid lateral ability and coordination for a back his size. Though he appeared to lose a smidgen of that mobility in 2022 compared to 2021, Rodriguez has the lateral ability to switch lanes behind the line of scrimmage with relative ease. That helps him stay on track and avoid negative plays. Rodriguez is also somewhat light on his feet, which makes it difficult for defenders to just bite at his ankles and hope to bring him down.

What Rodriguez lacks is juice. He isn't an explosive athlete in any sense. When it comes to sudden change of direction and wiggle at the second level, Rodriguez offers very little. He often lumbers when asked to cut or turn up the field sharply. Rodriguez's burst through the second level is likewise middling, and he has no long speed to speak of. Drive-changing plays will be few and far between.

Additionally, Rodriguez is not a useful pass-catcher right now. He caught only 18 passes over the last two seasons combined and often looked a little uncomfortable bringing the ball in. Moreover, Rodriguez was often just replaced on third downs by a backup running back, which speaks to what Kentucky thought about his third-down skills.

For teams that need a little beef and perhaps a short-yardage back, Rodriguez can fill that role. He has the size, strength and adequate footwork to be a capable short-yardage and battering ram backup. However, it's hard to see an exciting ceiling with Rodriguez given his lack of speed, explosiveness and third-down skills.

Rodriguez would fit best in a zone system that can embrace his footwork and downhill decisiveness.

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GRADE: 6.1 (High-Level Developmental Prospect/Round 5)

OVERALL RANK: 179

POSITION RANK: RB18

PRO COMPARISON: Devontae Booker

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Written by B/R NFL Scout Derrik Klassen