Malcolm Rodriguez
#1 LB,
Lions
ACTUAL 2022
142 FPTS
RANK: 136
2023 SEASON
- FPTS
RANK: -
AGE
24 yrs
HEIGHT/WEIGHT
5'11'' / 230 lbs
COLLEGE
Oklahoma State
| SEASON | GP | FPTS | RANK |
| 2022 | 16 | 142 | 136th |
Records sack in victory
Published: 2024-10-01
Rodriguez recorded five tackles (four solo), including 1.0 sacks, in the Lions' win over the Seahawks on Monday night.
Rodriguez made the start at linebacker in place of an injured Derrick Barnes (knee, IR) and played 34 percent of the Lions' defensive snaps in base situations next to Alex Anzalone and Jack Campbell. With Barnes out at least three more games, Rodriguez should handle an increased role on defense on top of his leading special teams job.
Weekly Stats 2022
Stats not availablePerformance Splits: 2020 to 2022
| Home | Dome | 9 | 8 | undefined | NaNth | 334 | 16 | 37 | 6 | 71% | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | undefined | undefined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Away | Outdoor | 5 | 5 | undefined | NaNth | 174 | 8 | 11 | 2 | 70% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | undefined | undefined |
| Away | Dome | 1 | 1 | undefined | NaNth | 55 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 75% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | undefined | undefined |
| Away | Retractable Dome | 1 | 1 | undefined | NaNth | 46 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 100% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | undefined | undefined |
Career Stats by Season: 2022 to 2022
| 2022 | 23 | DET | 16 | 15 | 142 | 136th | 609 | 25 | 58 | 8 | 73% | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
|---|
Large role reduction in 2023
Published: 2024-02-27
Rodriguez recorded 22 tackles and one forced fumble over 17 games in 2023.
After logging 584 defensive snaps during his rookie year, Rodriguez was given just 115 of them in 2023 thanks to Derrick Barnes seeing an expanded role alongside Alex Anzalone with first-round pick Jack Campbell joining the fold as well. Given that each of the three starting linebackers are under contract in 2024, Rodriguez does not have a clear path to a bigger role in the near-term, let alone come anywhere close to the 87 tackles he registered in 2022.
Good to go
Published: 2023-10-30
Rodriguez (ankle) is active for Monday's game against the Raiders.
Rodriguez injured his ankle in last week's loss to the Ravens and subsequently landed a questionable designation for Monday's game. Barring any setbacks, he looks ready to take on his usual workload.
Questionable to return
Published: 2023-10-22
Rodriguez (ankle) exited Sunday's game against the Ravens and is listed as questionable.
The second-year linebacker did not record a tackle before exiting. Rodriguez has seven tackles in seven games this season.
Defensive role dwindling
Published: 2023-10-18
Rodriguez did not log a defensive snap during Sunday's win over Tampa Bay.
Rodriguez logged about a quarter of the defensive snaps over the first three games of the season, but the former Hard Knocks star has seen his role dwindle as first-round rookie Jack Campbell has seen his role expand. With Alex Anzalone and Derrick Barnes handling every other snap at linebacker, Rodriguez will likely see most of his work come on special teams for the foreseeable future.
Back on the field
Published: 2023-07-27
Rodriguez (undisclosed) played majority of camp this week with the second-team defense, Dave Birkett of The Detroit Press reports.
Rodriguez was dealing with an undisclosed injury earlier in spring and summer but he's since moved past the issue. The Oklahoma State product started 15 games for the Lions last year but now seems to be competing with Alex Anzalone and Derrick Barnes for the second starting linebacker spot alongside 2023 first-round pick Jack Campbell. As a rookie, Rodriguez tallied 87 tackles, eight tackles for loss and one forced fumble.
Dealing with undisclosed injury
Published: 2023-06-01
Rodriguez (undisclosed) was a non-participant at practice Thursday, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports.
Head coach Dan Campbell ruled out Rodriguez for practice Thursday after the linebacker left the team's open OTA last week with an unspecified injury. That being said, he is not believed to be dealing with anything serious and the Lions are likely just being cautious with his health.
Stuck next to Anzalone
Published: 2023-03-14
Rodriguez will continue to play alongside Alex Anzalone in 2023 and beyond, Kyle Meinke of MLive.com reports.
This limits the upside of the rising IDP prospect for the foreseeable future. However, linebackers coach Kelvin Sheppard believes that the on-field support that Anzalone -- a defensive captain -- provided Rodriguez in 2022 made it easier for the latter to post impressive stat lines in the first place. While Anzalone's presence in the middle of the defense will nonetheless make it hard for Rodriguez to register elite IDP production going forward, it's still possible that Rodriguez could push for triple-digit tackles in 2023 after logging 87 as a rookie.
Records 87 tackles as rookie
Published: 2023-01-22
Rodriguez totaled 87 tackles with one sack, two pass breakups, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery over 16 games in 2023.
It was an up-and-down season for the 5-foot-11 rookie drafted in the sixth round, but the good far outweighed the bad for Rodriguez, who finished fifth among all rookies in total tackles. While his stock is already on the rise, Rodriguez could become a highly attractive IDP option ahead of the 2023 campaign should he take over the middle linebacker role from incumbent Alex Anzalone, who is set to hit free agency.