Introduction
Rodney Hudson (born July 12, 1989) is an American football center for the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Florida State University, and was a two-time All-American. He was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the second round of the 2011 NFL Draft.
Early years
Hudson was born in Mobile, Alabama. He attended B. C. Rain High School in Mobile, where he was a two-way lineman. He graded out at 95 percent for his entire senior season with a total of 47 pancake blocks, while also being a standout on defense as he recorded 55 tackles as defensive tackle. He earned All-State first team honors as a junior and senior.
Besides his football commitments, Hudson was forced to work nights at a local Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant to support his single mother throughout high school.
Considered a three-star recruit by Rivals.com, Hudson was listed as the No. 17 center in the nation. He also received a three-star rating by Scout.com, and ranked 45th on their offensive guard list. He selected Florida State over West Virginia and Southern Miss, among others.
College career
Hudson attended Florida State University, and played for coach Bobby Bowden and coach Jimbo Fisher's Florida State Seminoles football team from 2007 to 2010. As a true freshman in 2007, he started 10 of 13 games at left guard and left tackle. He was named the ACC Offensive Lineman of the Week for his performance in the Seminoles' victory over the second ranked Boston College. At the end of the season he earned numerous honors such as a Freshman All-America first-team selection by College Football News and the Football Writers Association of America, and All-ACC third-team honors by Phil Steele. As a sophomore in 2008 Hudson earned ACC Offensive Lineman of the Week three times. At the end of the season he earned a first-team All-ACC selection by Rivals.com and Phil Steele.
In 2009, Hudson was listed at No. 2 on Rivals.com's preseason interior lineman power ranking in 2009. Hudson was the winner of the ACC Jacobs Blocking Award as the league's most dominant offensive lineman. He earned FWAA first-team All-American honors and was an Associated Press second-team All-American.
In the 2010 preseason, Hudson was a watch list candidate for the Lombardi Award and Outland Trophy. In November 2010, he was named one of three finalists for the Outland Trophy, along with Gabe Carimi and Nate Solder; Carimi won the award. Hudson was a first-team All-ACC selection for the third consecutive season, and was recognized as a unanimous first-team All-American.
After four years of starting, Hudson left FSU as the most decorated offensive lineman in Seminole history. Hudson was listed as the 24th best player in FSU history by the Orlando Sentinel before his senior season had even been played.
Professional career
Pre-draft
Hudson was graded as the No. 6 available offensive guard in the 2011 NFL Draft and projected to be a second to third round pick by Sports Illustrated.He was projected to be moved to center, due to his "limited size" and He was ranked the No. 1 Center and the 52nd prospect by NFLDraftScout.com.
| Ht | Wt | Arm length | Hand size | 40-yd dash | 10-yd split | 20-yd split | 20-ss | 3-cone | Vert | Broad | BP | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 2 in | 299 lb | 32½ in | 9⅜ in | 5.31 s | 1.90 s | 3.12 s | 4.96 s | 8.03 s | 25½ in | 7 ft 11 in | 27 reps | ||||||||
| All values from NFL Combine | |||||||||||||||||||
2011 NFL Draft
Hudson was drafted in the second round, with the 55th overall pick, by the Kansas City Chiefs. He was the highest selected Seminoles offensive lineman since Alex Barron in 2005.
Kansas City Chiefs
2011
On July 29, 2011, the Kansas City Chiefs signed Hudson to a four-year, $3.50 million contract with a signing bonus of $104,892.
He entered training camp his rookie year competing with veteran Casey Wiegmann for the starting center position. He was named the backup center to Wiegmann to begin the regular season.
He made his regular season debut in the Kansas City Chief's season-openeing loss to the Buffalo Bills. On November 27, 2011, Hudson earned his first career start during a 13-9 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. He finished his rookie season with 16 games and one start as the Kansas City Chiefs finished 7-9 and fired head coach Todd Haley.
2012
Hudson entered training camp in 2012, competing with Rob Bruggeman and Cam Holland to be the Chief's starting center. Head coach Romeo Crennel named Hudson the starting center to begin the regular season. On September 23, 2012, Hudson suffered a broken leg during the Chief's 27-24 overtime victory against the New Orleans Saints. He was placed on injured-reserve for the remainder of the season three days later and finished his second season with three starts in the first three games.
2013
Hudson returned in time for training camp and competed with Eric Kush and Tommie Draheim to keep his job as the starting center. The Kansas City Chief's new head coach, Andy Reid, named him the starting center to begin the regular season. Hudson played in all 16 games and started the first 15, helping the Chiefs achieve a 11-5 record.
On January 4, 2014, he started in his first career playoff game and the Kansas City Chiefs were defeated by the Indianapolis Colts 45-44 in the AFC Wildcard Game.
2014
Hudson entered the 2014 regular season as the Kansas City Chief's de facto starter at center. He started all 16 regular season games for the first time in his career and became a free agent after the season. Bleacher Report ranked him the fourth best center of 2014 and Pro Football Focus ranked him the fifth best center.
Oakland Raiders
2015
On March 11, 2015, the Oakland Raiders signed Hudson to a five-year, $44.5 million contract with $20 million guaranteed.
Once he signed with the Oakland Raiders he became their de facto starting center. He finished his first season with the Raiders giving up only eight pressures and starting 13 games. Hudson missed Weeks 10, 12, and 13 with a sprained right ankle and had Tony Bergstrom fill in. Pro Football Focus ranked him the fifth best center in 2015 and graded him as the best pass blocker at center.
2016
Hudson returned as the Oakland Raiders' starting center in 2016, started all 16 regular season games, and was the only player on the Oakland Raiders to play every offensive snap. He was selected to his first Pro Bowl along with fellow Raider's offensive linemen Donald Penn and Kelechi Osemele.