Late Friday night, the first Texas Tech Red Raider was selected in the NFL Draft. Offensive lineman Caleb Rogers heard his name called with pick No. 98 overall (third round) when the Las Vegas Raiders gave him his shot to play on Sundays.
This marks the 10th year in a row that at least one Texas Tech product has been drafted. What's more, Rogers is the highest-drafted Red Raider offensive lineman since LeRaven Clark was the No. 82 overall pick by the Indianapolis Colts in the 2016 draft.
The Mansfield, Texas, native was a 3-star recruit when he signed with the Red Raiders in the class of 2020. Rated the No. 90 offensive tackle in the nation and the No. 132 overall player in Texas, he had a rather modest offer list that included the likes of New Mexico, Georgia Tech, Arkansas State, William and Mary, and Louisiana-Monroe.
Despite not being a blue-chip recruit, he took little time to make his mark in Lubbock. As a true freshman, he started three games and appeared in six more at tackle.
With the 98th pick in the 2025 #NFL Draft, the Las Vegas #Raiders select OL Caleb Rogers - @TexasTechFB @Raiders | #RaiderNation pic.twitter.com/86mTmNM4PH
— Raiders PR (@RAIDERS_PR) April 26, 2025
In 2021, he started all 13 games at right tackle. That year, he logged 808 snaps while allowing only four sacks.
2022 saw Rogers flip sides of the line to play left tackle. There, he started all 13 games again. That season, he had a 95.2 pass-blocking percentage according to Pro Football Focus.
The next season, he returned to right tackle, where he again started all 13 games. Allowing just three sacks in almost 1,000 snaps, he earned honorable-mention All-Big 12 honors.
Wrapping up his Red Raider career in 2024, he again started all 13 games (nine at right tackle and the rest at guard). He earned All-Big 12 honorable mention recognition yet again.
For his career, he appeared in 61 games, a Texas Tech record. That included 55 starts. What's more, Rogers proved to be a team-first player who lined up wherever he was needed, even when it was believed that playing along the interior of the offensive line would have been best for his NFL prospects.
Many believe that the 6-foot-5, 310-pounder will be asked to be a guard in the NFL. There, his size and strength will pay dividends while his lack of elite lateral quickness will not be as much of a problem as it was when he was manning the edge of the offensive line in the Big 12.
Rogers was a team leader during his time in Lubbock, as his infectious personality made him beloved by teammates. He was all-in as a Red Raider as he often showed up at Texas Tech basketball games to fire up the student section for big games.
Now, Texas Tech fans hope that he has a successful and lengthy career with the Sliver and Black Raiders after representing the Scarlet and Black Raiders so well for five seasons.