Rodrique Wright (07/2004)

Position:

DT

School:

University of Texas

Height:

6' 5"

Weight:

315 lbs.

General Variables:

35 out of 40

Size:

9

Strength:

9

Speed:

9

Athleticism:

8

Position Variables:

35 out of 40

Run defense:

7

Pass defense:

10

Versatility:

8

Tackling:

8

Positives:

Rodrique Wright is a nightmare for opposing quarterbacks.  He has a rare combination of speed and power, making him the best pass-rushing interior defensive lineman in the country.  His first step and technique are good enough; he’s able to either out-quick or out-muscle most any blocker in the country.  Despite facing nearly constant double-teams, Wright excelled last season.  He is skilled enough to play either interior spot in a 4-3, or would make a devastating nose tackle in a 3-4, like another former Longhorn, Casey Hampton.

Negatives:

He’s not the best run defender.  At times, he has a tendency to get taken out of run plays, especially those that go outside.  By and large this has been because he prefers to play for penetration, up field, at the expense of reading the play.  Also, in the run game, he has been known to get stood up at the line of scrimmage and isn’t able to recover quickly enough to make the play.  These negatives on Wright are minor.  He is easily the more NFL-ready and starter-ready than the other top linemen including Ngata and Hawthorne.  One thing to keep an eye on is the absence of Marcus Tubbs.  The impact of new interior starter and underachiever Larry Dibbles will be more attention for Wright and the question is how much that attention will hurt Wright’s play.

Overall:

Dick Tomey and Greg Robinson promise to set the defense up so that their playmakers can make plays.  When he says playmakers, he means linebacker Derrick Johnson, Rod Wright, and safety/cornerback Mike Huff.  This new defense looks like it will give a kid like Wright plenty of chances to make plays, but in a transition year, you just never know.  If the defensive scheme takes some adjusting to, and Wright doesn’t make that as smoothly as everyone hopes, it could hurt his play…and his NFL stock.

Final Word:

MACK — Yeah, Wright is the “daddy-Mack” of the D-line, but this Mack is Coach Mack Brown.  He’s been a great recruiter and run a good program, but it’s time to take that next step, and the key to that is the “coach” in Coach Brown.  Players like Wright, Johnson and Huff have the skills to make this an elite defense.  That will help to make the case for a guy like Wright as an elite NFL prospect.  But it’s been poor coaching that has consistently labeled the Longhorns underachievers and the players entering the NFL have often had to shake that stigma.  There’s no doubt Wright is an awesome talent, but if the Longhorns can finish the deal this year, so to speak, with a Big 12 Title and BCS bowl, it would be great pub for kids like him.

Curtis Popejoy

Scouting Director