What RB Chris Rodriguez Jr. brings to the Washington Commanders
Taking a closer look at the Commanders’ sixth round pick and how he might fit in Washington.
The Washington Commanders drafted Kentucky running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. with their sixth round pick. The 6-foot, 217 pound back is a no nonsense, physical runner that likes to work downhill and make his presence felt between the tackles. You won’t see him dancing behind the line of scrimmage trying to make defenders miss with multiple sharp jump cuts. Instead, he’s going to do his best to stay on his assigned path and face defenders head on, lowering the shoulder and initiating contact to try and run them over.
On this play, Kentucky looks to run a counter scheme to their right, with the left guard pulling across the formation and looking to kick out any defender on the edge. Power and counter schemes at A gap runs for the running back, meaning his initial path is to attack the A gap between the center and guard and then work outside until he finds an available gap to run through. Rodriguez starts on his initial path up the middle but quickly has to work off it as the defensive end crashes inside the tight end’s block. Rodriguez smoothly adjusts his path to avoid the defensive end, but after doing so he’s met with by the safety working off the block of the pulling guard.
Rodriguez thumps into the safety full speed and runs straight through him as he works to the second level. The other safety comes across and attempts to make the play, but Rodriguez lowers his shoulder and runs over that safety too. The rest of the defense manages to catch up and bring him down at that point, but both safeties felt just how violent and physical Rodriguez is when he runs.
That ability to run over defenders and fight through contact is what Rodriguez is known for. He obviously runs with great power and good balance, but there’s an intangible quality of desire to maximize every possible yard from each play. He is consistently hard to bring down and if the defense gets lazy with its tackling form or leaving the play to be made by teammates, Rodriguez will punish them for it.
Here against Georgia, Rodriguez shows that desire to fight for every yard. Georgia has one of the most stout defensive fronts in all of college football and it showed in this game. Kentucky were rarely able to create many openings for Rodriguez to run through. However, on this play Rodriguez manages to bounce his route outside before getting up the field as quickly as possible. The defense adjusts and works outside to try and stop him and the first point of contact from a defender on Rodriguez is at the 15 yard line.
Had the first defender managed to bring Rodriguez down at the first point of contact, it would have been about a four-yard gain. But as I mentioned, Rodriguez is never an easy tackle. He ensures he wraps up the ball and drops his shoulders but keeps his legs pumping. Multiple defenders grab on to try and bring him down, but with a little help from an offensive lineman, Rodriguez is able to carry multiple defenders down the field for 10 additional yards beyond the first point of contact.
That type of fight and refusal to go down will obviously endear him to his teammates, coaches and fans alike, but it also makes him a weapon in short yardage situations and in the red zone.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Bullock's Film Room to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.