{"id":279763,"date":"2026-05-05T14:27:09","date_gmt":"2026-05-05T14:27:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/279763\/"},"modified":"2026-05-05T14:27:09","modified_gmt":"2026-05-05T14:27:09","slug":"examining-the-texas-tech-reunion-at-linebacker-and-how-long-it-might-last","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/279763\/","title":{"rendered":"Examining the Texas Tech Reunion at Linebacker &#8230; And How Long It Might Last"},"content":{"rendered":"<p id=\"inline-text-0\" class=\"mt-[18px] md:mt-0 mb-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6b\">The Miami Dolphins selected linebacker Jacob Rodriguez out of Texas Tech with pick No. 43 in the 2026 draft, adding more depth to one of the stronger position groups on the defense.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-1\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6e\">Linebacker was certainly not one of more glaring needs for the Dolphins going into the draft, but Rodriguez was a highly anticipated Day 2 selection.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-2\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6h\">Rodriguez put together an outstanding 2025 season for the Red Raiders. He was named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the year, unanimous All-American, and finished fifth in voting for the Heisman trophy. <\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-3\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6k\">Rodriguez likely fell to the second round due to teams viewing him as undersized for an NFL linebacker with a 6-1, 231-pound frame. While his measurables might have made teams pass on him, Rodriguez\u2019s statistical output at Texas Tech is undeniable, coming off consecutive seasons with over 100 total tackles. Last season he totaled 128 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, one sack, and six passes defended. <\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-4\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6n\">Rodriguez was also a force in creating turnovers last season with four interceptions and an FBS leading seven forced fumbles. While forcing these turnovers will be more difficult in the NFL, it will add a new element to the Miami defense if Rodriguez\u2019s skill set is developed to a professional level. Nobody on the Dolphins had more than two forced fumbles a season ago.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-5\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6q\">Currently, Rodriguez\u2019s obstacle in seeing the field for Miami defense is that he will have to compete with a linebacker group consisting of experienced NFL veterans like Jordyn Brooks, Tyrel Dodson and Willie Gay Jr.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-6\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6t\">However, all three of Brooks, Dodson and Gay are set to become free agents after the 2026 season, so there will be an incentive for the Dolphins to establish Rodriguez as a future cornerstone of the defense early in his career.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-7\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6w\">Fortunately for Rodriguez, he has a prior familiarity with Brooks as both players played their college football at Texas Tech. \u201cJordyn has given me a lot of words of wisdom as I\u2019ve gone through my years here,\u201d Rodriguez said.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-8\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6z\">Brooks was so excited after the Rodriguez pick, in fact, that he drove to the team&#8217;s facility. <\/p>\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Congratulations Jacob! Super excited to have you here in MIA!! Let\u2019s ball out man! From one Red Raider to another \u2026wreck em!! &#8211; Jordyn Brooks<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MiamiDolphins\/status\/2047853974863167761?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">April 25, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-10\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"75\">A prior relationship with one of the leaders on the team will help Rodriguez ingratiate himself with the team during OTAs and training camp.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-11\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"78\">Brooks is coming off an All-Pro season where he led the league with 183 tackles. He also totaled 13 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks. Brooks has started in every game for the Dolphins since joining the team in 2024.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-12\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7b\">With Brooks entering the final year of his contract, decision time is fast approaching for general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan on Brooks\u2019 future in Miami. Sullivan has spoken highly of Brooks since being hired. \u201cHe\u2019s a very good player. He\u2019s made of the right kind of stuff. He\u2019s going to be a pillar on the defensive side of the ball for us as we build this thing out,\u201d Sullivan said.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-13\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7e\">Brooks, who is 28, is in a position to earn a contract extension after earning All-Pro honors last season. Considering the Dolphins are expected to be in a rebuilding year with an emphasis on building the roster around younger players, teams around the league likely have and may continue to inquire about Brooks\u2019 trade availability.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-14\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7h\">Despite the uncertainty for Brooks&#8217; long-term future, he is coming into 2026 as the unquestioned leader on this Miami defense. He will certainly be named a team captain again.\u00a0 <\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-15\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7k\">If Rodriguez can tune his skills up to the professional level, fans will be excited to see what he and Brooks can potentially do as a tandem. Both players are elite tacklers with the ability to affect both the opposing run and pass. <\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-16\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7n\">The Dolphins linebacker group and Rodriguez\u2019s development will be a story to watch throughout the 2026 regular season. <\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.minutemediacdn.com\/platform\/google_discover_icon.svg\" class=\"shrink-0\"\/>Add us as a preferred source on Google<a aria-label=\"Follow si.com on Google News\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=si.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" class=\"flex h-[30px] w-[30px] shrink-0 items-center justify-center rounded-full bg-primary font-group-large text-sm font-medium text-white transition-colors hover:bg-secondary focus:bg-secondary md:w-auto md:gap-2.5 md:px-4 md:py-[5px]\">Follow<\/a><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Miami Dolphins selected linebacker Jacob Rodriguez out of Texas Tech with pick No. 43 in the 2026&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":279764,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[27,29,28],"class_list":["post-279763","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-texas","tag-texas","tag-texas-headlines","tag-texas-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/279763","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=279763"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/279763\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/279764"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=279763"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=279763"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=279763"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}