Rodney Hudson Scouting Report

Rodney Hudson was not the most highly touted recruit, but he did not waste any time making a big impact on Florida State's offensive line. The 6-2, 285 pound guard started ten games as a true freshman in 2007. Nine of those starts came at left guard and one at left tackle and his efforts earned him freshman all-American honors. In 2008, Hudson continued to rack up awards, most notably All-ACC first-team honors by multiple sources. Hudson continued his success in 2009 until he missed the last two games with a knee sprain and has helped Florida State have a very good offense in 2010.

Hudson's biggest liability is his size. Most NFL teams want a guard closer to 300 pounds. Hudson does have great footwork and is young enough to add some weight without losing any speed, but he needs to prove that at the NFL combine.

Last year when Hudson was thinking about entering the NFL Draft, most agreed that he was the best junior guard in college football. That has continued into his senior season and Hudson should be the first guard taken in April. If Hudson can prove that he can gain some weight without any negative effects, he could very easily move into the first round. Even if Hudson does not gain weight before the draft, he is still the most talented guard in this class.

3/22 Update: Hudson added some girth to his frame and weighed in at the NFL combine at 299 pounds. He probably will not gain much more than that any time soon. The questions about his size lead many to believe that he is better suited as a center. He certainly has the instincts and intelligence to play in the middle of the line. Most NFL teams will not want to use a first round pick on a player they need to train at a new position or spend a year or two physically molding him into a larger guard. Those concerns have dropped Hudson down into the second round.