{"id":504014,"date":"2026-02-25T22:40:24","date_gmt":"2026-02-25T22:40:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/504014\/"},"modified":"2026-02-25T22:40:24","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T22:40:24","slug":"awaiting-his-nfl-home-texas-techs-jacob-rodriguez-knows-black-hawk-pilot-wife-will-be-there","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/504014\/","title":{"rendered":"Awaiting his NFL home, Texas Tech’s Jacob Rodriguez knows Black Hawk pilot wife will be there"},"content":{"rendered":"

INDIANAPOLIS \u2013 Jacob Rodriguez<\/a> won\u2019t know for another two months where he\u2019ll be playing football in 2026. But the former Texas Tech<\/a> star doesn\u2019t need the NFL draft to inform him where he\u2019ll be.<\/p>\n

\u201cHome is wherever she is,\u201d Rodriguez said Feb. 25 at the league\u2019s annual scouting combine, a reference to his wife, Emma.<\/p>\n

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And while that might seem like a stock answer for one half of a young couple, it\u2019s hardly simple in the case of the Rodriguezes. That\u2019s because Emma, who graduated from West Point in 2023, is now a Black Hawk helicopter pilot \u2013 meaning not only does the lieutenant have a demanding Army career of her own, she\u2019s likely to be stationed anywhere in the United States, to say nothing of the likelihood she\u2019ll be deployed.<\/p>\n

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1. New York Jets – Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana<\/p>\n

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1. New York Jets – Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana<\/p>\n

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2. New York Jets \u2013 Arvell Reese, LB\/DE, Ohio State<\/p>\n

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3. Arizona Cardinals \u2013 Francis Mauigoa, OT, Miami (Fla.)<\/p>\n

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4. Tennessee Titans \u2013 Rueben Bain Jr., DE, Miami (Fla.)<\/p>\n

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5. New York Giants \u2013 Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State<\/p>\n

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6. Cleveland Browns \u2013 Spencer Fano, OT, Utah<\/p>\n

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7. Washington Commanders \u2013 David Bailey, DE\/OLB, Texas Tech<\/p>\n

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8. New Orleans Saints \u2013 Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame<\/p>\n

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9. Kansas City Chiefs \u2013 Makai Lemon, WR, USC<\/p>\n

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10. Cincinnati Bengals \u2013 Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State<\/p>\n

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11. Miami Dolphins \u2013 Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee<\/p>\n

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12. Dallas Cowboys \u2013 Mansoor Delane, CB, LSU<\/p>\n

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13. Los Angeles Rams (from Atlanta Falcons) \u2013 Brandon Cisse, CB, South Carolina<\/p>\n

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14. Baltimore Ravens \u2013 Olaivavega Ioane, G, Penn State<\/p>\n

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15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers \u2013 Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State<\/p>\n

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17. Detroit Lions \u2013 Keldric Faulk, DE, Auburn<\/p>\n

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18. Minnesota Vikings \u2013 Colton Hood, CB, Tennessee<\/p>\n

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19. Carolina Panthers \u2013 Kadyn Proctor, OT, Alabama<\/p>\n

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20. Dallas Cowboys (from Green Bay Packers) \u2013 Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, S, Toledo<\/p>\n

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21. Pittsburgh Steelers \u2013 KC Concepcion, WR, Texas A&M<\/p>\n

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22. Los Angeles Chargers \u2013 Caleb Banks, DT, Florida<\/p>\n

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23. Philadelphia Eagles \u2013 Monroe Freeling, OT, Georgia<\/p>\n

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24. Cleveland Browns (from Jacksonville Jaguars) \u2013 Denzel Boston, WR, Washington<\/p>\n

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25. Chicago Bears \u2013 T.J. Parker, DE, Clemson<\/p>\n

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28. Houston Texans \u2013 Lee Hunter, DT, Texas Tech<\/p>\n

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29. Los Angeles Rams \u2013 Germie Bernard, WR, Alabama<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe\u2019ve been doing long distance for our whole marriage, and so it\u2019s something that we\u2019ve kinda been used to,\u201d said Jacob Rodriguez of Emma, who was also his high school sweetheart in Texas. \u201cI know she has a lot going on, I have a lot going on. We both try to find the time to get to talk to each other.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhenever we get to see each other, it\u2019ll be great.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the meantime, NFL ballcarriers are likely to see a lot of Rodriguez, an off-ball linebacker \u2013 and sooner than later.<\/p>\n

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An All-America in 2025 for the Red Raiders, the Big 12\u2019s Defensive Player of the Year and winner of numerous awards last season (Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Butkus Award, Lombardi Award\u00a0and the Chuck Bednarik Award\u00a0among them), Rodriguez\u2019s 140 solo tackles over the past two seasons were the most in FBS. He also forced seven fumbles in 2025, tied for the most in a single season over the last decade, and finished fifth in the Heisman Trophy voting despite his position.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust a total playmaker \u2013 run stuffing, sacks, interceptions, pass breakups. He does it all, even scored a touchdown on offense,\u201d said ESPN draft analyst Matt Miller.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know there\u2019s going to be some conversation about athletic ability, (lack of) explosiveness in the lower body \u2026 (but) in terms of just pure football players, Jacob Rodriguez is one of the best in this class.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jacob Rodriguez ‘will be a starter in the NFL’ draft expert says<\/p>\n

Listed at 6-foot-1, 235 pounds by Texas Tech, Rodriguez may not have ideal size for his position \u2013 which he hasn\u2019t even played all that long \u2013 and may not blow anyone away with his other physical traits. But he\u2019s taken the long road to success before.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI\u2019ll make this prediction here early: Jacob Rodriguez might not be a top 100 pick in this draft, (but) he will be a starter in the NFL,\u201d says Miller.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would not be surprised if he works his way into a rookie starter position and then has a very nice, long career because of the instincts, the football IQ, the awareness and the toughness that he plays with.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rodriguez has only been a linebacker since 2022, when he changed schools and positions after getting a scholarship to play quarterback at the University of Virginia coming out of high school. But a coaching switch in Charlottesville led him to enter the transfer portal \u2013 where he languished before getting a lifeline from Texas Tech, with caveats: He had to walk on … and switch positions. Yet his experience behind center has translated nicely to his new role \u2013 though he did score a pair of red-zone TDs in 2025 on direct snaps in option packages in a callback to his former football life.<\/p>\n

\"Texas<\/p>\n

Texas Tech’s Jacob Rodriguez shares a kiss with his wife Emma prior to the Big 12 Conference championship football game, Saturday, Nov. 6, 2025, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt definitely helps,\u201d Rodriguez says of his QB background. \u201cPreparation is the biggest thing. Quarterbacks prepare in such a way that they have to know everything that\u2019s going on on both sides of the ball.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Said Miller: \u201cYou see that \u2013 the understanding of the game, the knowledge of the game definitely shows up now that he\u2019s on defense.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yet so does the hard work and leadership.<\/p>\n

\u201cJacob is one of the guys who has to come around and cools me down when I’m talking trash. It’s exciting to play with J-Rod,\u201d said Texas Tech defensive lineman Lee Hunter, one of several Big 12 champion Red Raiders invited to this year\u2019s combine.<\/p>\n

“J-Rod is the GOAT. He’s a dog. He takes pride in what he’s doing.”<\/p>\n

And, similar to most defensive quarterbacks, that means a lot of time studying the playbook and opponents.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of it comes from preparation,\u201d said Rodriguez, who\u2019s already met with the Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Chicago Bears at the combine.<\/p>\n

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\u201cYou kinda know where the ball\u2019s gonna go, and so you can have a quicker step to be able to get there. And then a lot of it has to do with effort \u2013 if you\u2019re playing defense, then you\u2019ve got to play with a lot of effort. That\u2019s kinda mandatory.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rodriguez models his game after Buffalo Bills linebackers Matt Milano and Terrel Bernard but became prolific at creating turnovers by watching former Bears cornerback Charles “Peanut” Tillman, whom he recently met.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere has to be a purpose to take the ball away \u2013 everything you do should be wanting to take the ball,\u201d said Rodriguez.<\/p>\n

It would be a ball for Emma Rodriguez if she’s able to continue seeing her husband play in person. She managed to make the trip from her duty station in Fort Riley, Kansas, to see all of his home games in Texas Tech\u2019s magical 2025 season, which ended with a loss to Oregon in the CFP quarterfinals.<\/p>\n

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\u201cLong distance is hard, but whenever you\u2019re with the right person, it\u2019s incredibly worth it,\u201d Emma Rodriguez told ESPN last season.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe live very different lives but very demanding lives at the same time. And as long as we get to do it together, that\u2019s what makes it worth it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Married now for nearly three years, Jacob Rodriguez says his union with Emma is \u201cnormal,\u201d underpinned by trust and inspiration.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe motivates me so much,\u201d he said. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t be here without her.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s great, she\u2019s so high performing in her own right. It helps us because she understands how much work you have to put in to do something at a high level, and so I think we have a mutual respect for each other on that end.\u201d<\/p>\n

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And, if the NFL does them a solid, maybe a place to make a mutual home sooner rather than later.<\/p>\n

All NFL news on and off the field.\u00a0Sign up<\/a>\u00a0for USA TODAY’s 4th and Monday newsletter.<\/p>\n

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jacob Rodriguez, Black Hawk pilot wife Emma, await 2026 NFL draft<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"INDIANAPOLIS \u2013 Jacob Rodriguez won\u2019t know for another two months where he\u2019ll be playing football in 2026. But…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":504015,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[559],"tags":[64,63,1261,226461,1248,1234,1256,253308,190679,102571,593,5345,85,1247,102785,3370,3375],"class_list":{"0":"post-504014","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nfl","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-buffalo-bills","11":"tag-butkus-award","12":"tag-chicago-bears","13":"tag-dallas-cowboys","14":"tag-denver-broncos","15":"tag-emma-rodriguez","16":"tag-jacob-rodriguez","17":"tag-matt-milano","18":"tag-nfl","19":"tag-raiders","20":"tag-sports","21":"tag-tampa-bay-buccaneers","22":"tag-terrel-bernard","23":"tag-texas","24":"tag-texas-tech"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/504014","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=504014"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/504014\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/504015"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=504014"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=504014"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=504014"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}