Washington Commanders select Kentucky RB Chris Rodriguez in sixth round of 2023 NFL Draft

Chris Rodriguez was a freight train at running back for the Kentucky Wildcats over his five seasons in Lexington. Now, his talents are officially headed to the NFL as the Washington Commanders selected him with the No. 193 pick in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft.

Rodriguez became one of the best backs in the history of UK’s program during his time in the bluegrass. He finished third all-time in school history in rushing yards with 3,643, which was just 230 from the No. 1 spot. Rodriguez also finished second all-time in rushing touchdowns at Kentucky with 33 total.

As a fifth-year in 2022, Rodriguez posted a decent season considering he missed the team’s first four games. He rushed for 904 yards, the second most of his career, and six touchdowns on 175 attempts on the ground.

Rodriguez arrived at Kentucky in 2018 as a three-star prospect in the class per On3’s Industry Rankings. He wasn’t ranked highly as an overall prospect but was tabbed as a Top-100 running back that year.

Rodriguez earned a reputation as a bowling ball of a back while he was a Wildcat considering how he racked up yards, specifically after contact. That skill is now the Commanders’ advantage as he now heads off to take the next step in his career and join their franchise.

What NFL Draft analysts are saying about Chris Rodriguez

NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein also recognizes Rodriguez’s skill to accumulate yards by dragging defenders with him. In his analysis, he noted the power, size, and mentality of Rodriguez as his best assets. He then compared him to another back that Kentucky fans are very familiar with in Benny Snell Jr..

“Rodriguez is a powerful runner but he lacks the burst and creativity to become anything more than a downhill grinder,” Zierlein wrote. “He has the size and mentality to do the dirty work between the tackles. It could be a challenge for him to get to and through the hole quickly in the NFL. He’s a physical blitz protector. Teams might envision a role for him as a second-half battering ram and third-down quarterback protector.”