2022 NFL Draft notebook: Minnesota Vikings could surprise this year and more
By John Blair
2022 NFL Draft Sleeper of the Week
It may come as a surprise that Kentucky running back Chris Rodriguez was one of the more productive backs in the SEC last season. Rodriguez led the Wildcats in rushing with 785 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2020 despite splitting time with AJ Rose. However, his most impressive stat might have been his 6.6 yards per carry average which led the SEC and finished 17th nationally.
While Rodriguez had a strong season last year, this coming season could be an even bigger year for him. The main reason his production will likely increase is that he will no longer be splitting time this season which will increase his touches. His production will also likely see an increase due to the hiring of new offensive coordinator Liam Coen who has already stated he wants to see Rodriguez more involved in the passing game.
When projecting Rodriguez to the next level the first thing working in his favor is his power as a runner. Coming in at 5-foot-11 and 224 pounds he is one of the bigger backs in the class and has a physical style to match up with his size. Along with his size, what makes Rodriguez such a tough back to bring down is his ability to keep his balance when hit and to keep his feet moving on contact.
One of the biggest issues Rodriguez has coming into the season is that he only has two catches over the past two seasons. Part of this was due to Kentucky not having a very sophisticated passing game last season and rarely threw the ball to any of its running backs last season. Even with this being the case Rodriguez is going to need to show scouts he has the hands to be a complete running back and not just someone you can hand the ball off to.
The 2021 season will be a big year for Rodriguez as he will need to prove several things this season. One of these is that he can hold up to the pounding a feature back faces. He will also need to prove he can thrive in a more pass-friendly offense. If he can prove to scouts he is up to the challenge in both of these areas next season it would not be a shock if he ended up being a fourth or fifth-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.