Read the full transcript from ILB Jacob Rodriguez's media availability on August 2, 2026.
Coach Hafley was saying earlier that he likes the way you attack violently. I'm curious, when you're on the field, where does that attack mindset, in your opinion, come from?
Jacob Rodriguez: I think just trying to play the game the right way. I think football is a physical game and it's meant to be played that way. You have to be physical when you do it, whether you're attacking a ball carrier or the ball specifically, it really doesn't matter as long as you do it violently with the right technique and proper form. I feel like that's how it's got to be played.
Speaking of that physicality, knowing that tomorrow's the first day of pads, you being a linebacker, someone that thrives with that violence, how excited are you to put full pads on and be able to play some real football?
Jacob Rodriguez: Yeah, I'm very excited for that. I think what we've been doing so far has been great. It's helping us a lot with technique and where to use our hands and how to do a lot of the ins and outs and stuff. But football is played, like I said, physically, and when football pads come on and shoulder pads and everything else with it, you start to get to play real football. And so there is a timing to a football play, and so that will just help us kind of get better as a team of playing football the right way and the timing of kind of each play.
What's it like to go through this rookie experience with so many other guys who are part of this draft class? It's such a large class of people dealing with the same thing.
Jacob Rodriguez: Yeah, it's great. I think all of us are so eager to play and do as much as we can, but I think a big thing we talk about is just doing your role the best. Right now, it kind of doesn't even feel like it's just kind of us rookies, it feels like everybody; we're all in the hotel, we're all getting up here early and staying late and we're all in it together. So it's not just us rookies, it's kind of everybody, but it just feels good to be doing hard stuff with people.
What's the biggest lesson you've learned from your veterans in your position?
Jacob Rodriguez: I think just how they go about every day. I know like Jordyn (Brooks) and T-Dot (Tyrel Dodson) and those guys have been in the league for such a long time. Like they know how to go about like day to day. They know what routine works for them and what doesn't, so they've just been speaking on how to like create that. What might work for them, has worked for them for years, might not work for me. And so just trying to go out and figure out what works for me and stick to it.
What's it like hanging out with Kyle Louis? It seems like getting to know him a little bit, he's pretty intense, all ball kind of guy. Is that an accurate assessment of his personality off the field?
Jacob Rodriguez: So Kyle is goofy all the time. That's why he plays so well. It's because he plays free and he just has fun, and his life is about football. That's how you love guys in the locker room to be, so it's nice that he's in our room and we get to hang out a lot, but knowing him from the whole recruiting experience until now, it's been fun to get a closer relationship with him and have a good time. But no, he's definitely kind of more of a goofy guy who just loves to play free and fast so it's something we like to see on the field.
What do you think are the keys to effective linebacker pass coverage in this scheme?
Jacob Rodriguez: I think just playing with your feet in the ground. I think a lot of times if you start crossing over, if you pick your feet up, you just have both feet on the ground with your eyes on the quarterback and just ready to break. I think the more efficient breaks that we can get, the distance that we can cover before the ball is caught is kind of what we're looking for, and then we go play ball from there.
Did you surprise yourself? Because I think since we've seen you in the spring, you've punched out like two or three balls in team drills. Did you surprise yourself that you were able to do that at this level right away like that?
Jacob Rodriguez: Not really. I think it's more something that you work on and now is the time to work on it. It's in practices and OTAs and now, and so if I want to take chances in a game of taking the ball away, I want to put myself in all the different positions that I can be in a game right now. And so, shoot, I've gotten a couple out, but that's not counting how many I've thrown, you know? So no, it hasn't surprised me, but I'm definitely looking for more. Definitely looking to try to create as many ball strips as I can.
It's definitely an art to punch the ball out. How do you not worry about like, breaking your hand?
Jacob Rodriguez: I mean, the worry is there, but like, you got to do it, you know, like you got to take a chance to take the ball away. And I think you see what you punch. It's like a boxer, like if you see the ball, you punch it. If you're just kind of throwing a blind punch, then that's when it kind of gets risky and like you could actually hit a face mask and actually break a knuckle or something. But if you're seeing what you're punching, it should be fine.
Do you guys come to you on how to peanut punch? Coaches, players, I mean, I know you're a rookie, but you have a good track record of doing it. Do they come to you and talk to you about what you do to get the ball out?
Jacob Rodriguez: I mean, some guys come like jokingly and then we'll kind of get into a conversation about it, but like, I'm all about, shoot, everybody trying to go and take the ball away. Like if we can take three or more a game, what kind of stat that would help us to win, it would be unbelievable. So anything I could do to help everybody kind of take the ball away, not that I'm perfect at it or have it figured out, but I've just been fortunate enough to get a few.
Is there any player you've studied in terms of punching the ball out?
Jacob Rodriguez: I actually got to meet Peanut Tillman, and so we talked for a little bit about how he does it. You always watch guys like Fred (Warner) who, you know, play the game the right way and they punch on opportunity. I think kind of just, you watch it. It's like anything else, like you study it on film and then you go out and try to practice it and then you bring it to a real-life situation. So it's kind of that part to whole, that kind of stepping stone, that process to it.
Today alone, I saw you come through on a blitz with Jordyn Brooks. I saw you covered De'Von Achane out wide. How much do you appreciate getting put in different positions being exposed to different scenarios?
Jacob Rodriguez: Yeah, I think just being able to get a good skill set of everything. Like we will be out on the boundary covering the back man to man or we'll be blitzing up the middle, blitzing on the outside, or we'll be hook dropping; like it really doesn't matter what we're doing, but we're doing a lot of it, so that way we get as much work on everything as we can. Stuff that we'll do as the weeks come and go and the more reps we get on everything, the better it will be, but a lot of stuff they tell us now is just try it. Like, if you're hesitant about doing something, do it. Like see where your fence is and see what your limitations are and just kind of go out and do it. And so we have those plays called for us to do what we have to do, just have fun and play free.
How cool is it to have the fans out there today? And what do players really get from having that support so early on?
Jacob Rodriguez: Yeah, it was really cool. Like I've never had fans at practice. That was the first time. You forget they're there when you come out of stretch and then they start cheering and then they're right there. And we were doing special team drills right in front of them and they're yelling the whole time or we're in indy and they're yelling. And so you hear them and they're great. I'd rather them be here than not, they're awesome. They brought a lot of energy to practice and it was fun. So I'm excited for them to be here tomorrow and kind of see how it goes from there.
Do you ever think about your time at the Orange Bowl with Texas Tech playing here at Hard Rock Stadium? And now come Saturday, you're going to be stadium practice. Did you ever think about that?
Jacob Rodriguez: I try not to think about that game, (laughter) but no, being down here, it was unbelievable. The hospitality here when we were here coming from Lubbock was unbelievable, and then it's been first class the whole way through since I've been here. Everybody wherever I go has been super personable and just great people. And so yeah, I've had no problems at all. In fact, I've had the opposite. I've had really great experiences everywhere I've been since I've been here.
When you referenced Fred earlier before you met Fred Warner? Just wanted to make sure.
Jacob Rodriguez: Yes, sir.
What is it about Hafley's scheme that kind of puts you in the right position to get your hands on the ball?
Jacob Rodriguez: I think just guys doing the right thing. It's kind of where we want the ball to get funneled to. Whether that's in the run game or the pass game, we kind of want edges to be set. That's how you play good run defense, is you got to set tight vertical edges. That's how we want the ball to be funneled back into the guys who are coming to fit the box, but same thing in the pass game. We kind of want stuff to be funneled either on a specific play outside and we'll run and chase it or inside and we'll be right there waiting for it. It really just kind of depends on what he calls and I think our scheme is unbelievable. And as I'm still learning it and still trying to get comfortable in it, and it's different from what I've done, but it's a lot of fun. I think it makes a lot of sense and it's something that's going to be, it's going to help us a lot. It's going to help us win games for sure.
Have you ever lined up on the outside like that?
Jacob Rodriguez: Yeah, yeah. I think, like any time you play man, you'll run out there eventually and play. It's not like they do it often. A lot of teams aren't going to go empty, but if they do, you got to have the – we'll teach man to man. We'll teach when he's all the way out there, what kind of leverage we want depending on the call, stuff like that.
You mentioned that kind of funnel concept and knowing where the call is kind of hoping to force the ball. Does that kind of prevent you from getting maybe stuck on when to take a shot with a punch like if you're the first arriving guy there and he's not wrapped up? Or is there always kind of a good way to take a shot on the ball, just depending on the angles and how your arrival to the ball carrier?
Jacob Rodriguez: I don't think there's like a right way and wrong way, if that makes sense, but like, there are opportunities that you want to take advantage of if you can when you're punching the ball out. Like if it's a third down, I don't want to take a shot at the ball because if we just make the tackle, they'll punt and we'll get the ball back. So you want to be smart with the opportunities that you take when you have it, but if you're in the right position, you have the right leverage and you're owning it, then take a shot on the ball and do so getting the ball with a tackler down. Don't just take a shot and let them run for, you know, thirty more. I don't want to say there's like a right and wrong way to do it, but there safer options and more conservative takes that you can have.
Not football related at all, but we're doing a series on what rookies are spending their first paycheck on. So out of curiosity, when that direct deposit hit, what was the first thing that you went and got?
Jacob Rodriguez: I went and got a bed. (laughter) I went and got a mattress. So, you know, in college for a little bit, when I was a walk-on, I slept on the ground in my brother's apartment. And so like, I'd never slept good when I was 13 and on, and so then I moved to the college like three inch mattress or whatever. So I never bought a mattress until I was (drafted) because I always said, you know, my first purchase is going to be a bed. So I bought a nice Tempur-Pedic.
Is it like the (adjustable) or Sleep Number?
Jacob Rodriguez: No, it's not that nice. No, it's not, it's just a hybrid Tempur-Pedic. It's nice. Sleep good.
