Jets need a guy like this bad – this cat could be a good fit in 2nd round . . .

By Dan Leberfeld
Texas Tech vs. UCF football on November 15, 2025 in Lubbock, TX. (Photo by Texas Tech Athletics)
There is so much talk about the Jets needing a QB in the draft.

But are we talking about an offensive or defensive QB?

Well, they actually need both.

As for the defensive QB, they need a linebacker who can be the QB of their defense, and they might be able to find one in the second round, and his name is Jacob Rodriquez. You can blame Steve Wilks for the Jets’ defensive issues, and perhaps he deserves some of the blame for some schematic problems, but it just seemed that no matter who was calling the defense, there were issues with defenders not reading their keys properly and being out of position.

So desperately need a starting inside linebacker, a green dot linebacker, who will improve the communication of the defensive unit before and after the snap. Also, somebody with top-shelf coverage instincts to read the QB’s eyes, see things before they happen, and jump routes.

So that takes us to Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriquez, college football’s best linebacker from this past season, who dominated on the defensive awards circuit:

  • Chuck Bednarik Award (nation’s top defensive player)

  • Butkus Award (nation’s top linebacker)

  • Bronko Nagurski Trophy (nation’s top defensive player)

  • Lombardi Award (nation’s top lineman or linebacker)

He finished last season with four interceptions and seven forced fumbles. He’s a turnover-forcing machine, something the Jets need after a rough 2025-26 season on that front, which included amassing no picks.

A former quarterback, he does a good job of reading quarterbacks’ eyes.

Brian Lundberg, the Senior Football Analyst at Football Scout 365, wrote about Rodriquez, “Jacob Rodriguez embodies the modern cerebral linebacker — quick to diagnose, relentless to finish, and trusted to quarterback a defense.”

That is exactly what the Jets need, a quarterback on defense.
Rodriquez would be perfect.
Maybe in the second round, perhaps with pick 44.
*******
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Dan Leberfeld
Dan Leberfeldhttps://www.jetsconfidential.com
Publisher of Jets Confidential Magazine. Call 1-800-932-4557 (M-F, 12-4) to subscribe. Co-host of Press Coverage every Saturday on SiriusXM NFL Radio from 11-2.

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