Ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft, there was no prospect more linked to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers than Jacob Rodriguez.
The Bucs had a huge hole at inside linebacker, and Rodriguez was coming off arguably the best linebacker season in college football history. He recorded over 300 tackles, six sacks, six interceptions, and 13 forced fumbles during his college career.
Rodriguez offered everything the Bucs were looking for in a linebacker prospect, but the Miami Dolphins swooped in and took him with the No. 43 overall pick — just three spots ahead of Tampa Bay at No. 46, breaking hearts all across Tampa Bay.
It was already tough to come to terms with missing out on the future star, and now Rodriguez is wasting no time twisting the knife even further with a red-hot start to his career at Dolphins OTAs.
Jacob Rodriguez is already forcing turnovers at Dolphins OTAs
ESPN’s Marcel Louis-Jacques reported that Rodriguez had a forced fumble during Tuesday’s OTA session — his first of many forced turnovers in a Dolphins uniform.
It’s early, and the pads haven’t even come on yet, but there haven’t been any reports of Bucs’ rookie Josiah Trotter making splash plays at OTAs.
Trotter, who will play his rookie season at 21 years old, is significantly younger than Rodriguez , who will turn 24 before Week 1, and he’s a much rawer prospect as a result. The Bucs knew when they drafted him that it would take time for him to develop and reach his ceiling, which they believe to be sky-high.
But the Bucs are in win-now mode in 2026, especially with head coach Todd Bowles on the hot seat. It would’ve been ideal to land a player like Rodriguez who many viewed as a prospect as NFL-ready to transform a defense on day one.
Comparison is the thief of joy, so the Bucs might want to divert their attention far away from Miami, and focus on the growth of Trotter. But if Rodriguez becomes an All-Pro caliber player the way many expect, it could haunt the Buccaneers for years to come.
Rodriguez was well within reach to trade up for a reasonable price, but Tampa Bay was content with Trotter as their contingency plan. They didn’t believe there was enough distance between the prospects to sacrifice a mid-round pick to move up.
It is admittedly unfair to Trotter, but he will be compared to Rodriguez for the duration of their respective careers. After all, they were drafted just 3 picks apart, and Rodriguez was the apple of the fan base’s collective eye.
Every highlight play Rodriguez makes in Miami is going to generate the same question in Tampa Bay: What if?
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