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Chris Rodriguez Jr.

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Chris Rodriguez Jr.
refer to caption
Rodriguez in 2023
No. 23 – Washington Commanders
Position:Running back
Personal information
Born: (2000-09-26) September 26, 2000 (age 23)
McDonough, Georgia, U.S.
Height:5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight:224 lb (102 kg)
Career information
High school:Ola (McDonough)
College:Kentucky (2018–2022)
NFL draft:2023 / Round: 6 / Pick: 193
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of 2023
Rushing yards:247
Rushing average:4.8
Rushing touchdowns:2
Receptions:2
Receiving yards:12
Player stats at PFR

Christopher Rodriguez Jr. (born September 26, 2000) is an American football running back for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Kentucky Wildcats, finishing second in school history in career rushing touchdowns and third in rushing yards before being selected by the Commanders in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL draft.

Early life

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Rodriguez was born on September 26, 2000, in McDonough, Georgia.[1][2] He played center on the offensive line in middle school until he broke his arm in seventh grade; he was moved to fullback upon returning.[3] He was moved to running back while attending Ola High School, where he recorded 1,669 yards and 25 touchdowns as a senior.[3] Rated a three-star running back prospect, Rodriguez committed to play college football at Kentucky over offers from Colorado State, Mississippi State, and Ole Miss among others.[4][5]

College career

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Rodriguez played in three games and rushed twice for 43 yards in his true freshman season before opting to redshirt the rest of the season.[6] As a redshirt freshman in 2019, he rushed 71 times for 533 yards and six touchdowns.[7] As a redshirt sophomore in 2020, Rodriguez was the Wildcats' leading rusher with 785 yards and 11 touchdowns.[8] As a redshirt junior in 2021, Rodriguez rushed for 1,272 yards and eight touchdowns on 205 carries during the regular season.

In May 2022, Rodriguez was arrested by a campus police officer and charged with driving under the influence (DUI) and careless driving.[9] He pleaded guilty in July and was fined US$200 and had his driver's license revoked for six months.[10] Rodriguez was later accused of filing inaccurate time cards while working part-time at UK HealthCare and was suspended for the first four games of the 2022 season for both incidents.[11][12] Rodriguez scored a six-yard rushing touchdown with less than two minutes left in the 2022 Citrus Bowl against the Iowa Hawkeyes, helping Kentucky win 20–17.[11] A two-time team captain, he graduated with a degree in community and leadership development in May 2022 and is second in Kentucky history in career rushing touchdowns and third in rushing yards.[13][14]

College statistics

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See also: Kentucky Wildcats football statistical leaders § Rushing
Season GP Rushing Receiving
Att Yds Avg TD Rec Yds Avg TD
2018 1 2 43 21.5 0 0 0 0 0
2019 9 71 533 7.5 6 1 2 2.0 0
2020 9 119 785 6.6 11 1 12 12.0 0
2021 13 225 1,378 6.1 10 13 61 4.7 3
2022 8 175 904 5.2 6 5 41 8.2 0
Career 40 592 3,643 6.2 33 20 116 5.8 3

Professional career

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Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
5 ft 11+5⁄8 in
(1.82 m) 		217 lb
(98 kg) 		30+5⁄8 in
(0.78 m) 		8+5⁄8 in
(0.22 m)		 4.52 s 1.58 s 2.59 s 4.31 s 33.0 in
(0.84 m)		 9 ft 6 in
(2.90 m)		 19 reps
[15]

Rodriguez was selected by the Washington Commanders in the sixth round (193rd overall) of the 2023 NFL draft.[16] He signed his four-year rookie contract on May 12, 2023.[17]

After a strong preseason, in which he averaged 7.4 yards per carry, he made the final 53-man roster as the third running-back.[18] On December 28, 2023, the Commanders placed him on injured reserve due to concussion symptoms.[19] As a rookie, he appeared in 13 games. He finished with 51 carries for 247 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns.[20]

Personal life

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Rodriguez is nicknamed C-Rod.[21] His mother, Stephanie Thornton, died from lupus in January 2022.[22]

References

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  1. ^ Brugler, Dane. "The Beast: 2023 NFL Draft Guide" (PDF). The Athletic. p. 33. Retrieved April 10, 2022.
  2. ^ Hammock, Will (September 21, 2020). "Former Henry County rivals Yusuf Corker, Chris Rodriguez Jr. now teammates, key players at Kentucky". Henry Daily Herald. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  3. ^ a b Hale, Jon (October 10, 2019). "Kentucky football's Chris Rodriguez learned running style from playing center". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  4. ^ Goodman, Darius (July 31, 2017). "Ola High running back Chris Rodriguez commits to Kentucky". Henry Daily Herald. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  5. ^ "Chris Rodriguez, Kentucky Wildcats, Running Back". 247Sports. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
  6. ^ Hale, Jon (July 26, 2019). "Replacing Benny Snell won't be easy, but Kentucky football has depth at running back". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  7. ^ "Ola grad Chris Rodriguez Jr. named SEC Co-Offensive Player of the Week". Henry Daily Herald. September 11, 2021. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  8. ^ Vaught, Larry (June 11, 2021). "Rodriguez looks ready to play in NFL". The Advocate-Messenger. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  9. ^ Hale, Jon (May 9, 2022). "Kentucky football star running back Chris Rodriguez arrested on DUI charges". Courier Journal. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
  10. ^ Hale, Jon (July 5, 2022). "Kentucky football star Chris Rodriguez pleads guilty to DUI charge". Courier Journal. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
  11. ^ a b Shelton, Hunter (September 28, 2022). "Why Kentucky Wildcats are confident Chris Rodriguez will boost offense after suspension". Kentucky.com. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
  12. ^ Truax, Barkley (September 17, 2022). "Report: Additional details arise on the suspensions for Chris Rodriguez, Jordan Wright". on3.com. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
  13. ^ Marcum, Jason (April 29, 2023). "Chris Rodriguez to Washington in the NFL Draft". A Sea of Blue. SB Nation. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  14. ^ "Chris Rodriguez Jr. Selected by Washington in 6th Round of NFL Draft". ukathletics.com. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
  15. ^ "Chris Rodriguez Jr. Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
  16. ^ Lichtenstein, Hannah (April 29, 2023). "Commanders draft K.J. Henry with No. 193 overall pick". Commanders.com. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
  17. ^ Selby, Zach (May 12, 2023). "Commanders sign KJ Henry, Chris Rodriguez Jr., Andre Jones Jr. to rookie deals". Commanders.com. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
  18. ^ Schultz, Adam (August 30, 2023). "Commanders Rookie Rodriguez 'Nice Job' Making Roster". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
  19. ^ Manning, Bryan (December 28, 2023). "Commanders place RB Chris Rodriguez Jr. on IR". USAToday.com. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
  20. ^ "Chris Rodriguez 2023 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
  21. ^ Story, Mark (October 16, 2023). "Racing against time, 'C-Rod' still has big goals for the UK football season". Kentucky.com. Lexington Herald-Leader. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
  22. ^ Hale, Jon (April 30, 2023). "After being drafted by Commanders, Chris Rodriguez knows his mom would be proud". Kentucky.com. Lexington Herald-Leader. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
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