Hastings DT Rodrique Wright Scouting Report
Rodrique Wright (defensive tackle)
Frame and Strength: Charles Barkley has nothing on Rodrique Wright.
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Wright is just plain big. He’s broad-shouldered with a tree trunk for a lower
body. To think that he’s only going to get stronger is frightening. Grade: 10
Quickness: Wright is oftentimes the first guy off of the ball. He
rarely lets his blocker beat him to the point of attack. He’s not the fastest
guy you’ll see of the ball, but he’s much quicker than most. And he has to
be, he’s so often double-teamed that he would be a non-factor in most games if
he didn’t have the quickness that he has. Grade: 8
Agility: This is a strong point for Wright. Rarely does a guy his size
move around so well and so naturally, especially between the tackles. He doesn’t
have the all-out speed and agility to make many plays outside the tackles.
Grade: 7
Tenacity and Toughness: Wright plays hard. He’s not someone who just
gets by with his overwhelming size and strength and athletic ability. Grade: 9
Playmaking Ability: It took about five plays against Houston North Shore to
understand exactly why most people think that the sky is the limit for Wright.
His spin move against a run that was away from his side of the ball was a thing
of grace and beauty (if those adjectives can apply to a defensive tackle). The
move put him square into what would have been a vacant hole. Once there, he then
dumped the running back to the ground in a show of brute force. Grade: 9
Overall: 42 out of 50
The highest scoring player at the defensive tackle position last year was yet
another Texan, Tommie Harris, who is now at Oklahoma. Harris scored a 45 (7, 10,
10, 8, 10).
Wright is a different type of player than Harris. If you’re looking for a
comparison to Wright, then first-round pick former Longhorn Casey Hampton is
more appropriate.