If Stripe Hype was the pioneering chairman of the Landon Robinson bandwagon — and trust me, I was — NFL Network's Brian Baldinger is officially the second in command regarding the exciting Cincinnati Bengals rookie.
Service academy pun intended in that lede. You see, yours truly has gassed up the Bengals-Robinson connection since January. Kept that same energy through multiple mock drafts, and yes, in real time during the draft.
I was a round early. My bad! Welcome to Cincinnati, @LandonRobinson!! https://t.co/joXANQWOjr
— Stripe Hype (@StripeHype) April 25, 2026
With legitimate athletic comparisons to Bengals legend Geno Atkins, it's no wonder Robinson was a standout performer against the Detroit Lions' backups in Week 1 of the NFL preseason. I dubbed him the "ultimate Bengals training camp watch" about a week and a half ago. Robinson didn't disappoint.
The game tape didn't lie for Baldinger, either. He's a ball-knower and film junkie who's been eyeing Robinson for quite some time as well, evident in his cutup analysis from late April, just after Robinson was drafted.
Baldy heaps heavy praise on Robinson after stellar preseason debut vs. Lions
Any concerns about Landon Robinson not being able to stack up to next-level competition after making the transition from Navy were unfounded against the Lions.
Brian Baldinger praised the obvious standout rep of the evening, where Robinson split a double team with a lightning-quick lateral move and explosive push forward. Robinson drew a holding penalty and still tackled Detroit quarterback Luke Altmyer to the turf.
What was most encouraging, though, was Baldinger's breakdown of Robinson's prowess as a run defender and the traits that should serve him well going forward in that department. Baldy gets into two plays in quick succession to succinctly summarize Robinson's physical traits and football IQ:
- Play No. 1: "Playing with leverage, OK? Underneath the guard, keep the outside arm free, clogging it all up. Nice job."
- Play No. 2 : "Then you watch this right here: You watch him go from a 3-technique to 1-technique, set the hard edge, force the back inside."
- Play No. 3: "Then you watch this, that's Blake Miller, the rookie right tackle. Swims up, gets upfield, tackle for a loss right here, behind the line of scrimmage. He wins with his quicks. He's got great speed, great leverage."
That last rep and the disparity in draft status between Lions first-round rookie right tackle Blake Miller and Robinson is proof enough that the latter was an absolute steal when Cincinnati got him with the 226th overall pick.
Baldinger praised another pass rush win for Robinson when he was relentless in harassing Lions QB Joshua Dobbs. Robinson managed to get upfield to create interior pressure, and had enough bend to get back toward Dobbs and flush him out of the pocket.
These are the types of traits and intangibles that made me fall in love with Robinson as a prospect. Combine that with the fact that he was a first-team All-American at Navy, and had to carry a legit academic workload, and the upside for the 23-year-old seems really high.
The Bengals are exceptionally deep in the defensive trenches. It's reassuring, too, that Robinson's unconventional, 5'11", 293-pound frame is actually working in his favor so far. That low center of gravity, sick athleticism, and functional strength give him the versatility to line up as a nose tackle in addition to a 3-technique.
See, that's been my argument for 2024 second-round pick Kris Jenkins Jr., who I believe Robinson will steal a roster spot from. Jenkins isn't dynamic enough to thrive as a 3-technique, nor well-suited to be a nose tackle, especially with Dexter Lawrence and T.J. Slaton at that spot already.
The film doesn't lie. Baldy and I have seen Robinson's emergence coming from a mile away for months. Y'all better hop aboard the Landon hype train if you're not on it yet!
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