Why the Detroit Lions should draft LB Jacob Rodriguez

Texas Tech's Jacob Rodriguez acknowledges the crowd after being honored on senior day before a Big 12 Conference football game, Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025, at Jones AT&T Stadium. | Nathan Giese/Avalanche-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images The 2026 NFL Draft is just around the corner, and it could be a pivotal moment for the Detroit Lions to get their franchise back on track.

While the 17th-overall pick in the draft will have a number of viable targets, Day 2 of the draft could be just as important. With multiple positions in need of top-100 talent, Detroit could go any direction with picks 17 and 50, including trading up or trading down. One of the players who could find themselves in Detroit by month’s end is Jacob Rodriguez.

The Texas Tech linebacker was among college football’s best in 2025, and with an underrated need for a linebacker, Rodriguez could and should be a target for Detroit. Finding the sweet spot in terms of draft value may be a challenge, but the Lions have not shied away from spending assets to get their guys. [Editor’s Note: This is the beginning of our “Why the Lions should draft…” series, where our staff members advocate for their favorite 2026 NFL Draft prospects for the Detroit Lions on either Day 1 or Day 2 of the draft.

] Why the Detroit Lions should draft Texas Tech LB Jacob Rodriguez Need Before we get into the prospect, we need to look at why Detroit would even explore linebacker options. While the Lions could be at a schematic crossroad on defense entering the 2026 season, one fact will surely remain true: this team loves and values linebackers. In 2026, the Lions rolled out three linebacker sets at a rate nearly unseen in the present-day NFL.