Malcolm Rodriguez

Malcolm Luciano Rodriguez (born March 29, 1999) is an American professional football linebacker for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Oklahoma State Cowboys.

Early life Rodriguez attended Wagoner High School in Wagoner, Oklahoma. He played quarterback and safety in high school. During his career he had 115 touchdowns with 6,144 passing yards and 2,449 rushing yards. He was born to a Mexican father and Cherokee mother, he is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation.

College career Rodriguez joined Oklahoma State in 2017 and played there until 2021. After starting his career as a safety he moved to linebacker in 2019. As a senior he was named a first-team All-American by ESPN. During his career, he had 408 tackles, 7.5 sacks, two interceptions, and a touchdown. In his final college game, he was named the MVP of the 2022 Fiesta Bowl.

Professional career

Rodriguez was selected by the Detroit Lions with the 188th pick in the sixth round of the 2022 NFL draft. As a rookie, he appeared in 16 games and started 15. He finished with one sack, 87 total tackles, two passes defended, and one forced fumble. He was named to the Pro Football Writers Association All-Rookie Team. In the 2023 season, he appeared in 17 games and started three.

Rodriguez made 10 appearances (6 starts) for Detroit in 2024, recording 43 combined tackles, two sacks, one pass deflection, and one fumble recovery. On November 29, 2024, it was announced that Rodriguez would miss the remainder of the season after he suffered a torn ACL in Week 13 against the Chicago Bears.

On November 18, 2025, Rodriguez was activated for his return from surgery ahead of Detroit's Week 12 matchup against the New York Giants.

On March 16, 2026, Rodriguez re-signed with the Lions on a one-year, $2.75 million contract.

NFL career statistics Regular season Year Team Games Tackles Fumbles Interceptions GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL FF FR Yds TD Int Yds TD PD 2022 DET 16 15 87 62 25 1.0 8 1 1 2 0 0 0 0 2 2023 DET 17 3 21 13 8 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2024 DET 10 6 43 27 16 2.0 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 2025 DET 7 1 12 9 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Career 50 25 163 111 52 3.0 11 2 2 2 0 0 0 0 3