SOFI DRAFT LAB – Tre Tomlinson is not the biggest cornerback at 5-foot-8 and 178 pounds, and he knows evaluators use that as a knock against him.
It did not deter in the Rams in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, however, so he's eager to reward that faith and also continue using it as both a motivational tool and to his advantage as he begins his pro career.
"People just degrade me, and even though I've done as much as I've done in this game of football and continue to prove others wrong, it seems to still go over others' heads," Hodges-Tomlinson said after being selected. "The Rams, they believe in me and they chose to make the pick, so I'm gonna be sure that this pick here is gonna be one of the greatest picks they've ever had."
Indeed, Hodges-Tomlinson's frame has hardly served as an obstacle.
It didn't stop him from getting scholarship offers from multiple schools, including TCU where he would later commit and play his collegiate career. It didn't stop him from becoming a three-time First-Team All-Big 12 performer for the Horned Frogs. And it didn't stop him from winning the 2022 Jim Thorpe Award as the nation's top defensive back after making three interceptions and 15 pass breakups in 15 starts. Oh, and he played in 49 career games across four seasons.
"I feel like even though some people may look at it as a lack, I look at it as a benefit, because for me, (if) God wouldn't have made me this way, I wouldn't have had the great abilities I have, as far as my explosiveness, the way I can jump, the way I can run, my hip fluidity," Hodges-Tomlinson said. "Being low-level to the ground, it just makes it easier for me to get in and out of my breaks and everything like that, and just being solid, with my build and everything, on making tackles and stuff.
Take a look at photos of new Los Angeles Rams cornerback Tre'Vius Hodges-Tomlinson from his time at TCU.
Los Angeles Rams cornerback Tre'Vius Hodges-Tomlinson from TCU | 2023 NFL Draft
"Everything as a whole, I feel like it has continuously benefitted for me and hasn't showed any weaknesses in my game. I've continued to be the number one cornerback in college football since I played in college, so I feel like it hasn't been a problem with me at all. I'm just very thankful that a team, the Rams, finally feel like, 'we need to take this guy,' and not looked at it for what my measurements were."
Hodges-Tomlinson had some communication with the Rams leading into the draft, between a couple of Zoom calls and meeting with them at the East-West Shrine Bowl and later the NFL Scouting Combine – enough talking that, between what was said in those conversations and what he put on tape outweighed any negatives regarding his measurements.
"I'm just ready to get to work and I'm going to continue to show others why they should've have passed on me," Hodges-Tomlinson said. "And again, just very thankful for the Rams to give me a chance."
