Jacksonville Jaguars rookie offensive lineman Cooper Hodges wasn’t ready to evaluate his play Saturday night after his preseason debut. While he told reporters after the game that he felt he played pretty well, he needed to see film first before he could be sure of that.
Hodges was confident about one thing, though: he’s not out of his depth in the NFL.
“It’s still football. Still the game I’ve been playing since I was five,” Hodges said. “It’s all ball. The biggest thing is just the detail you have to take in and the process for each play. After today, I feel like I definitely belong here.
“It was still fun and that is the biggest thing. A lot of people tell you when you get here that it is a job. Man, it was still fun. It was still fun running the ball, getting yards, score touchdowns. It is all still fun.”
Hodges is trying to beat the odds and make the 53-man roster as a seventh-round rookie. While it’d be easy to forget about one of the last picks in the Jaguars’ massive 13-player draft class, Hodges has made himself hard to miss in training camp. The offensive lineman has done daily cartwheels for fans and offensive coordinator was complimentary of the physicality Hodges has brought to the practice field.
That was evident on the field Saturday night when Hodges made a few key blocks, including one that sprung running back D’Ernest Johnson free for a 26-yard gain.
It’s still too early to tell if Hodges will make the 53-man roster, but he’s right in his assessment: the Appalachian State alum looks like he belongs.
