Chris Rodriguez ready to make most of NFL opportunity

Before he spent an entire season without getting tackled for loss, long before he approached Kentucky’s all-time rushing record, Chris Rodriguez was in the doghouse, waiting for an opportunity. Four years after he was stuck on the sideline, he finds himself in a familiar position, preparing to make the most of the moment his number is called.

“All I need is a chance, that’s it,” he told KSR at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis. “Same thing I did at Kentucky. I was kind of the underdog as far as running backs. I didn’t play until my junior year, but when I got my chance, I made the most out of it.”

You might not remember the first time we saw Chris Rodriguez in a Kentucky uniform. He fumbled the ball twice in the 2019 season-opener against Toledo. Eddie Gran had seen enough and sat the redshirt freshman on the sideline for a month.

Rodriguez did not get another opporuntity until Kentucky trailed 24-0 in garbage time at South Carolina. He entered the game lined up next to Lynn Bowden at quarterback. The two orchestrated a scoring drive, thanks to the help of a 44-yard C-Rod run, that changed the trajectory of the season. He punctuated that drive with a touchdown, the first of his career. A towel from the game hung in his UK locker for the rest of the career as a reminder, “never forget where you come from.”

More than a Power Back

NFL scouts see Chris Rodriguez as a one-trick pony. His official NFL.com scouting report reads: “Rodriguez is a powerful runner, but he lacks the burst and creativity to become anything more than a downhill grinder… He’s a physical blitz protector, so teams might envision a role for him as a second-half battering ram and third-down quarterback protector.” The Kentucky running back wants to show franchises in the pre-Draft process that he is that and so much more.

“A lot of people know I have power. A lot of people know I can break tackles, get years after contact. But that’s just one of the things I want to showcase,” he said. “At Kentucky I was just running angry 24/7. In the NFL you can’t always do that. You got people on the other side that’s two times your size that are not playing around. That’s something I’m working on and hopefully I get to showcase it.”

Rodriguez informally met with too many teams to remember and also conducted a formal meeting with the Denver Broncos. He may not hear his name called until later on in day three of the NFL Draft, but he’ll be ready to make the most of this life-changing experience.

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Chris Rodriguez NFL Combine Results

Chris Rodriguez was unable to compete in Sunday’s on-field workouts at Lucas Oil Stadium. We’ll see him put to the test Friday, March 24 at UK Pro Day.

• Height: 6-foot
• Weight: 217 lbs.
• Arm: 30 5/8″
• Hand: 8 5/8″