EDGE Darius Robinson: Senior Bowl Standout

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Going into Senior Bowl week I was especially interested in watching the edge rusher group – particularly Missouri’s Darius Robinson. The Bucs will likely be in the market for major upgrades to that unit, as it has underwhelmed in Tampa Bay for two years in a row. Outside linebacker Shaq Barrett, who turns 32 next season, is a likely cut candidate, and neither former first-rounder Joe Tryon-Shoyinka nor YaYa Diaby has established himself as someone who can consistently win one-on-one as a true alpha pass rusher. There were several edge rushers who had a good week in Mobile, Ala. Kansas’ Austin Booker came on in day two and three and could move from a Day 3 selection to a Day 2 pick due to his length and athletic traits. UCLA’s Laiatu Latu solidified himself as a first-round prospect with an array of pass rush moves. Penn State’s Adisa Isaac improved his draft stock and Western Michigan’s Marshawn Kneeland put himself on the map. But perhaps none of them had quite as good of a week as Darius Robinson, who was voted as the best Senior Bowl defensive lineman by his peers. Darius Robinson’s Physical Profile Darius Robinson is a giant chiseled sculpture of a man. At the Senior Bowl he was measured at 6-foot-5 and 286 pounds. After getting to talk with him, I am quite certain his body fat may actually be a negative number! His arms are almost 35 inches, and his wingspan is over 84 inches. Based on Mockdraftable’s mean measurements, all four of those marks will easily clear the mean for the edge rusher position. Darius Robinson’s College Career Missouri EDGE Darius Robinson – Photo by: USA Today If you like edge rushers with sack production, this is not the prospect for you. The fifth-year senior has just 13 career sacks over 43 career games, according to SportsReference.com. Darius Robinson’s best season in terms of sack production was this past year when he recorded 8.5 quarterback takedowns. And that makes sense because 2023 was the first time Missouri used Robinson as a true edge. From 2019 to 2022 Robinson lined up inside on almost 87% of his snaps. In 2023 that all reversed and then some. Per Pro Football Focus, over 97% of Robinson’s snaps came from an edge alignment. The change of usage was a boon for the young pass rusher as he had his best season as a collegiate, recording 42 pressures to go along with the 8.5 sacks on just 290 pass rushes. His 17% win rate ranked 22nd in the nation per PFF. And when accounting for just true pass sets (reps where the quarterback doesn’t get the ball out in under 1.8 seconds, no play-action and no screens) he leveraged that win rate up to 27.5% and 15th overall in the country. With 112 career tackles, including 21 tackles for loss, Robinson was a great run defender at Missouri and his 8.0% run stop percentage was a Top 40 mark in all of college football among edge rushers. And due to his long wingspan, his career missed tackle rate was just 12.4%. Although that mark did balloon to 19.4% this past year. Missouri Edge Rusher’s Strengths Missouri EDGE Darius Robinson – Photo by: USA Today Strength is quite literally Darius Robinson’s greatest strength. He is a power player who uses his long arms and considerable muscle mass to deliver devastating punches and drive opposing linemen backwards. His violent hands also allow him to easily swipe away would-be blows from opposing linemen, helping to keep them off of his frame. Robinson plays with good pad level despite his considerable height, launching from a low profile upwards as well as out. This creates advantageous leverage that helps him displace opponents as his explosive burst and strong leg drive help him finish through opponents. Robinson isn’t a one-trick pony though. His burst off the line and explosive first step allows him to access the edge of the arc easily against slower or less athletic tackles. He pairs that with an effective inside counter in the form of a swim move that again takes advantage of his plus use of his hands. He tops all of this off with a quick violent spin move that he is willing to spin both inside and outside. His rare combination of length and mass make him a true chess piece who can play outside/inside depending on down and distance. As a standup rusher from the A-gap on long and late downs he will be a considerable matchup nightmare for almost every center in the NFL. His length and burst off the line will give less athletic tackles fits. And his considerable body control and hip fluidity will be a nightmare for unathletic guards as he can reduce his surface area and slip through creases in the line with ease. In the run game he can stack solo blocks while keeping his eyes in the backfield, then use his strength to shed quickly and make the tackle. Darius Robinson working heads up on the LT. Uses his hands/grip strength to hold the POA. Eyes in backfield. Tosses of block to make the tackle. Came in at 6050 and 286 lbs at Senior Bowl. pic.twitter.com/V6gfjoGOyG — Joshua Queipo (@josh_queipo) February 2, 2024 Darius Robinson’s Weaknesses Missouri EDGE Darius Robinson – Photo by: USA Today I have trouble describing Darius Robinson’s bend around the arc. The best way I can articulate it is as a high-ceiling, low-floor trait. He has flashed excellent bend at times, but almost accidentally. It’s as if he doesn’t know how to consciously access that tool in his bag. When it pops it profiles as the missing ingredient to the world’s best dish. But it is so infrequent and quite obviously not a part of his pass rush plan that it is hard to qualify it as a strength. It will be incumbent upon the team that drafts him to help him unlock that skill, because if they can…watch out! His movement fluidity comes and goes. You can see at times when he is thinking things through his movements slow and become belabored and clunky. And due to his incredible lower body length, he can struggle to access his power and speed when he is working on a shorter arc because he is so high cut. While his hands are violent, he can work on consistent placement. Especially his inside hand which can drift from the ideal strike point, reducing the effectiveness of his long arm. Miscellaneous Notes Missouri EDGE Darius Robinson – Photo by: USA Today He was a two-year captain at Missouri and by all accounts took the role seriously. He saw himself truly as both a vocal and on-field leader and tried to help get the best out of his teammates. I currently have a second-round grade on Robinson, and he will likely end up a Top 35-40 player on my board by the end of the draft cycle. Of the six edge rushers I have evaluated thus far he ranks second behind Penn State’s Chop Robinson. There will be very few edge rushers in this draft with a ceiling as high as his and none available when the Bucs select in the back of round one. For what the team needs to lead the outside linebacker room – a true alpha who has the athleticism to win one-on-one and force double teams – no other pass rusher is likely to have that potential at pick No. 26. If Tampa Bay wants to try and get that kind of profile via the draft over free agency, Robinson would be their best bet to do so. Here is every one-on-one rep for Missouri DL Darius Robinson during the Senior Bowl: pic.twitter.com/R9G6THuE6b — Marcus Mosher (@Marcus_Mosher) February 2, 2024 The post EDGE Darius Robinson: Senior Bowl Standout appeared first on Pewter Report.

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