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He’s shown he has above-average speed. He has good size and can be a punishing runner. He ran for 3,643 yards and 33 touchdowns on 592 carries in 40 Southeastern Conference games.
Yet Kentucky running back Chris Rodriguez is projected at best as a fourth-round pick in this week’s NFL Draft and a sixth- or seventh-round pick by many mock drafts.
One question about Rodriguez is whether he can be a viable part of a passing game since he caught only 20 passes in his 40 games at Kentucky.
Kentucky associate coach Vince Marrow, UK”s NFL liaison and a former NFL tight end, has a much higher evaluation for Rodriguez based on information he’s received from NFL personnel.
“I think he will go anywhere from the third to four rounds,” Marrow said on The Leach Report on Sunday Morning Sports on WLAP. “I think he is really in that three range.”
Marrow recalls in 2018 when UK running back Benny Snell did not break 4.6 in the 40-yard dash and went in the fourth round to Pittsburgh. He’s been in the NFL for four years.
The 6-0, 217-pound Rodriguez ran the 40-yard dash in 4.52 seconds at UK’s Pro Day.
“I think Chris will eventually be a (NFL) starter,” Marrow said. “He’s shown he can catch the ball, pick up the blitz and we all know what he can do between the tackles.”
Some draft analysts have expressed concerns about Rodriguez’s lack of creative running style but value his power, especially near the goal line.
Marrow believes playing for two offensive coordinators — Liam Coen and Rich Scangarello — at UK who have coached in the NFL gives Rodriguez an advantage over other running backs in the draft.
“I just don’t think Chris will go later than the fourth (round),” Marrow said. “Actually, I will be shocked if he does not go early third. He told me he was going to run a 4.5 and he did it. I didn’t quite believe him when he first said it but he did it.
“Last year his (NFL evaluation) grade was fourth or fifth (round) because they thought he was a 4.6 guy. Now he has shown he can run a 4.5. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see what he did in the best league in the country. I feel really good about him.”
Remember Rodriguez ran 225 times for 1,378 yards and 10 scores in 2021 when UK won 10 games. He was suspended for four games in 2022 but still ran 175 times for 904 yards and six scores even with UK’s offensive line issues. His per carry average dropped but was still 5.2 yards per attempt.
“I really think he’s going to be terrific in the NFL,” Marrow said. “He just needs a chance to show what he can do.”
