Key Lions Rookie Praised as ‘Over-Performer’ Thus Far During Season

Getty Brad Holmes and Rod Wood mix it up during Lions training camp in July 2021.

The Detroit Lions haven’t done a lot of things right on defense during the 2022 season thus far, but one of their best players has been linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez.

Rodriguez has managed to step up and find a way to make a big impression so far this season, and as a result, he’s getting on plenty of radars to start his young career in the league.

Already, Rodriguez has been sited as a potential All-Rookie player, and that is far from the only honor he has received. In a piece looking at the top 10 NFL rookies so far, Rodriguez wasn’t on the initial list, but did place

Draft analyst Jordan Reid wrote that Rodriguez has over-performed thus far within Detroit’s defense, and is one of the top rookies who have trended in such a direction thus far.

“His physicality, instincts and toughness have all been on display through five games. He is second on Detroit in tackles (36) and has proven reliable against the run, as a blitzer and in pass coverage,” he wrote.

Rodriguez has been very impressive to start his career in Detroit, and the team getting a big impact from him has proven as a major boost so far for the defense. Without Rodriguez, it’s hard to say where the Lions would be on that side of the ball.

Clearly, he is a major reason for the team to be optimistic moving forward for their defense.

Rodriguez’s Stats & Highlights

Already, the rookie has piled up an impressive highlight reel for the Lions in the short time he has been with the team and playing on the field.

Through Week 4, the linebacker has put up a total of 38 tackles this season, which is an outstanding total for a young player. He’s also been able to be in the right place at the right time multiple times for the team in terms of run support and pass defense on the field.

As he recently explained to Dannie Rogers of DetroitLions.com, through everything so far, Rodriguez has simply been focused on doing his job to the best of his abilities.

“Just playing physical, fast. Just playing under the system and just doing my job. I don’t look at all those plays like ‘oh my gosh.’ No, I don’t. I’m a very humble guy so I kind of just work off and build off of it. Just one of those things where I still have stuff to improve and stuff to critique and I critique myself very, very heavily.”

So far, all of that seems to have paid off early in Rodriguez’s career. The youngster seems to be on the right track in a big way, and is getting plenty of love as a result.

Rodriguez New Lions’ Fan Favorite

For weeks, Rodriguez has been getting hyped for his energy and ability throughout the preseason, and after Lions fans have watches his adjustment to the league, they’ve finally gotten a chance to see it on full display.

Now that everyone has seen what he can do as well as watched him dance and entertain on Hard Knocks, fans have gravitated toward the man affectionately known as “Rodrigo” in a big way

If Rodriguez can continue to make big plays on the field, the fanbase is going to continue to embrace him in a major way. By the time the season ends, Rodriguez might look like one of the biggest steals in the NFL.

READ NEXT: Jamaal Williams Sends Message to Lions for Turnaround