Senior Bowl Standout Quietly Makes Sense for the Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings have to draft better than they did in recent years. An infusion of youth is desperately needed, and finding some day-one impact players would help the club get back into the playoff hunt after a disappointing season. One need is the linebacker position and the Vikings are the ideal landing spot for Jacob Rodriguez (Texas Tech).
Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport listed his top landing spots for eight Senior Bowl standouts. Rodriguez excelled in Mobile, AL all week and he surely should be on Minnesota’s radar given the lack of depth at the position.
Davenport explained, “It’s a time of great upheaval in the Twin Cities. General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was shockingly fired this week after travelling to Mobile to watch Senior Bowl practices. But whoever replaces him will be facing some potentially tough decisions—especially on the defensive side of the ball.”
Adofo-Mensah was fired after overseeing four drafts and seasons. Long-time Vikings executive Rob Brzezinski will be in charge until a successor is found. The linebacker room currently centers around Blake Cashman, with limited proven depth behind him.
“Eric Wilson played well for the Vikings in 2025, but he’s 32 years old and set to hit free agency,” Davenport noted. “The team could be looking to patch a hole opposite Blake Cashman. Off-ball linebacker may not be a premium position, but Rodriguez could be a Day 1 starter available on the draft’s second day. His aggressiveness and penchant for takeaways would no doubt appeal to Minnesota defensive coordinator Brian Flores.”
Cashman has been productive but missed time in each of the past two seasons. Wilson broke out in 2025 but is entering free agency at age 32, while Ivan Pace’s role diminished late in the year. Even if one or two return, the room lacks long-term stability and short-term depth.
Flores’ scheme also frequently asks linebackers to attack downhill, blitz, and create negative plays, which aligns well with Rodriguez’s aggressive, takeaway-driven style.
His resume is impressive, Davenport described: “Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez was the 2025 Butkus Award winner after racking up 128 total tackles, 11 tackles for loss, four interceptions and an FBS-high seven forced fumbles. However, the 6’1″, 233-pounder lacks ideal size and athleticism by modern NFL linebacker standards.”
Flores has shown that he doesn’t consider a smaller stature a no-go. He possesses the necessary instincts to be a playmaker in any defense, especially at the linebacker position. Rodriguez was a real difference-maker in college, ranking 5th in Heisman Trophy votes for a reason.
ESPN’s Matt Miller wrote about the prospect, “The playmaking that led him to the fifth-place finish in Heisman polling showed up on Wednesday, as Rodriguez’s strength and power coming downhill as a tackler led to a forced fumble in team sessions. The 6-foot-1, 233-pounder is an easy evaluation. The thumping linebacker is a Round 3 player with the ability to impact a pro defense as a starting Mike ‘backer.”
Minnesota’s defense struggled to take the ball away, even when actively going for the ball on tackles, leading to frequent missed tackles.
Rodriguez emphasized at the Senior Bowl, “I think the first thing great defenses do is take the ball away. We [Texas Tech] stop the run, and so it gives us an opportunity to go and attack the football. When you’ve got 10 other guys running to the ball, you’ve got chances and opportunities to go and take the ball away and somebody is going to be there to pick it up. What I do a lot is take the ball away. So, I feel good about coming out here and continuing to do that.”
Minnesota has a clear need for youth and long-term stability at linebacker, and Rodriguez checks many of the boxes Flores typically values — instincts, physicality, and a nose for the football. As he’s likely available on Day 2, the fit could be too logical for the Vikings to ignore.