Versatile three-star athlete Drew Rodriguez commits to playing linebacker for Colorado State

FORT COLLINS — Drew Rodriguez announced his commitment to Colorado State on Tuesday.

The three-star athlete out of Salem, Oregon currently has offers from Montana State, Northern Colorado and Portland State, according to 24/7Sports. However, according to his Twitter feed, Rodriguez has been on campus at a variety of other schools in both the Mountain West and Pac-12.

As a junior at Sprague High School last fall, Rodriguez, who is listed at 6-foot-2, 205 pounds, played both wide receiver and free safety. He is being recruited to play linebacker at CSU though.

Watching Rodriguez on Hudl, he does a little bit of everything for his team. He’s a smooth runner and can cover a ton of ground, he shows good ball instincts on both sides, and he’s extremely dangerous when the ball is in his hands.

At the high school level Rodriguez appears to be the best athlete on the field, so it makes sense that he is the first option on offense and the last line of defense in the secondary. They even try to get him the ball as a returner.

Committed!! 🐏🟢⚪️
Excited to be part of the #RAMily @CoachJayNorvell @Adam_Pilapil @CoachBanks13 @CSUFootball @TeamAlpha_7on7 @DY_Lee11 @ifo14 @GoOlympians pic.twitter.com/0xIxXh7jTv

— Drew Rodriguez (@Drew_Rodriguez7) July 5, 2022

While he might need to add a little bit of mass to play linebacker against FBS competition, Rodriguez’s versatile profile could really translate nicely in defensive coordinator Freddie Banks’ 4-2-5 defense. With less linebackers on the field than the traditional 4-3 or 3-4 schemes, the guys you do play need to be able to range sideline to sideline and be impactful against the run. Based on a small sample size of film, I think Rodriguez fits the mold, especially after seeing the plays at 4:22 and 4:41 in his Hudl highlight.

With Rodriguez on board, CSU has now landed verbals from two defensive standouts from Oregon. Richie Anderson, a 6-foot-4, 230-pound prospect from Tualatin High School committed back in June.

After leaning heavy on offense in the 2022 cycle, the Rams are doing a nice job of recruiting highly-athletic defensive prospects in the 2023 cycle. There is still a long road to the early signing period, but this class is definitely looking encouraging.