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(Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)

The Miami Dolphins selected former Texas Tech Red Raiders linebacker Jacob Rodriguez in Round 2 of the 2026 NFL Draft. Moreover, Miami has ties to Texas Tech linebackers, as Dolphins legend Zach Thomas played college football there.

Rodriguez will be his own player, but there’s no hiding that he wants to follow in Thomas’s path and etch himself as a Dolphin great and Hall of Famer. On May 9, the new Miami linebacker spoke with reporters and shared what it’s been like being in the Dolphins’ facilities and seeing Thomas’s pictures everywhere.

“It means a lot, especially seeing him around the facility and on all the walls everywhere,” Rodriguez said on May 9. “It’s surreal knowing he came from where I was and was doing the same thing. That’s what I want to be one day: a Hall of Famer.

“It makes it really easy to see the blueprint of what he did. He reached out right after I got drafted, and he’s the best. He really is a great person and a great human being, along with being a great football player.”

Moreover, Rodriguez spoke about the Dolphins’ facilities as he is now underway in his NFL career.

“The facility is insane,” Rodriguez added. “It’s awesome, so it’s really nice to be here. The weather today was beautiful, too, so it’s great to be out here.”

Rodriguez put together a dominant 2025 college football season for Texas Tech, finishing with a 93.3 overall PFF grade. Furthermore, he finished the year with 81 solo tackles, added four total pressures, and one sack as a blitzer.

Jacob Rodriguez Ready to Fight for Starting Job

Meanwhile, Rodriguez is entering a situation with Miami in which the team is rebuilding. Although the team will try to be competitive, the Dolphins will allow their rookies to compete for starting jobs and learn on the job.

The Dolphins linebacker noted that this approach by the front office and coaching staff is motivational.

“It drives me a lot more, so just being around everybody and trying to be a part of the team is the biggest thing,” Rodriguez added. “We’re team-first, so coming in here and learning about the guys, learning about their relationships with everybody, and trying to fill my role is important. I just want to be a pro, learn my role, and do it to the best of my ability.”

Jordyn Brooks Could Be a Mentor for Jacob Rodriguez

Nonetheless, Thomas isn’t the only Dolphins linebacker with ties to Texas Tech, as Jordyn Brooks also follows this path of being a former Raider in Miami’s linebacker room. When the Dolphins drafted Rodriguez, the 23-year-old shared his thoughts on potentially playing alongside Brooks.

“I think Jordyn has given me a lot of words of wisdom as I have gone through my years [at Texas Tech],” Rodriguez told reporters on April 24. “I was also able to create a good relationship with Zach Thomas, and he has been a mentor to me.

“He has let me reach out to him with any questions I have. It has been a really cool experience to be in this position, to have guys who were in your same spot and now are leaning into this experience just like you are right now.”