Guard

Florida State

6-2 299

Draft board overall prospect rank: #78

Draft board overall guard rank: #7

Overall rating: 72 (3^rd round)

40 time: 5.22

4/20/11: There’s never been any question about Rodney Hudson’s technique. Ever since he stepped on Florida State’s campus as a freshman, he’s been a starter and, in my opinion, Florida State’s best technician. 4 years later, he might be the best technician of any interior lineman in this class. Danny Watkins might have something to say about that.

His problem is his size and his athleticism. He has short arms and played in the 280s last year, which is very small, even for an interior lineman. Because of that lack of size, there’s been a lot of talk that he might have to move to center, which is a projection as he didn’t play much there in college, which hurts his stock.

He has bulked up to 299 for The Combine, but the point is he played in the 280 and considering his small frame and short arms, he might be maxed out. He hasn’t looked terrible in drills at 299, but it’s clear that’s not his true playing weight. He’s best suited for a zone blocking scheme, where power and strength isn’t a necessity.

As for his technique, he gets low and uses his hands well for someone of his age. He plays with a solid base and great leverage so he can matchup with guys who are a little bigger than him, but some much bigger guys, guys like Phil Taylor in Senior Bowl practices, he’s going to have a really tough time keeping them out of the backfield and double teams probably will be needed.

NFL Comparison: Eric Steinbach