Chris Rodriguez Shows Off Hands at Senior Bowl

Chris Rodriguez Jr. had a solid outing at the Senior Bowl to cap off a week of workouts in front of NFL coaches and front office personnel.

The Kentucky running back averaged just shy of five yards per carry, picking up a team-high 27 yards on six touches for the American Team, who fell 27-10 Saturday afternoon. Rodriguez said earlier in the week he wanted to show off his physicality.

He also got a chance to show that he’s not a one-trick pony. He caught a pair of passes for 36 yards, including this big gain of 25 yards. It was the longest play of the day for anyone on the American Team.

Big play by @CROD_JR @seniorbowl @PrioritySports @UKFootball #NFLDraftNews pic.twitter.com/rDurjjla1V

— Kenny Zuckerman (@kenny_zuckerman) February 4, 2023

It wasn’t all great news. Chris Rodriguez got into Eddie Gran’s doghouse early in his Kentucky career because of fumbling issues. That resurfaced in Mobile when he put one ball on the turf. Not great, Bob.

Don’t worry, Chris. It could always be worse. You could be Malik Cunningham. Self-awareness is not necessarily a strength for the former Louisville quarterback. He was a starter in FOUR losses to Kentucky, yet still thought it was a good idea to slap an upside down UK logo on his helmet. Even when they try to rivalry their way out of Ls Down, they look foolish.

Malik Cunningham, zero-time winner in the Governor’s Cup, put a UK-logo upside down on his helmet in the Senior Bowl. pic.twitter.com/U1lxmf2U5X

— Nick Roush (@RoushKSR) February 4, 2023

The American Team’s only touchdown of the day was the result of a Malik Cunningham pick six, proof karma does exist.

Two Other Senior Bowl Notes

Keidron Smith was Kentucky’s only other representative in the game, but it appears the cornerback only participated in practice during the week. It’s unclear why.

We’d also like to extend our condolences one more time to Chris Rodriguez and his family. His mother died suddenly last month. He found a unique way to salute his mom in his first football game since she passed away.

Kentucky RB Chris Rodriguez Jr’s mom unexpectedly passed away on Jan. 11. She had Lupus. Awareness color is purple, which was also her favorite color. In tomorrow’s @seniorbowl, Chris will be wearing purple facemask loaned from LSU football. Incredible way to honor his mom. 💜💙 pic.twitter.com/ab0ZDTPSjS

— Jim Nagy (@JimNagy_SB) February 3, 2023