Cincinnati Bengals defensive tackle Landon Robinson was not drafted nearly high enough as a seventh-rounder out of Navy. Of course, if you've been reading Stripe Hype since, oh, January, you know that already.
Frankly I've been so right about Landon Robinson being a stud that I'm tired of talking about it. He was a steal on Day 3 of the draft, and only keeps proving that by the day. Other than Dohnte Meyers, I struggle to come up with a better story than Robinson out of Bengals training camp.
Now, the rest of the NFL community is starting to realize what a baller Robinson is. You love to see it. Welcome to the party, pals.
Robinson is lowest-drafted player to crack prestigious list of promising rookies
The Athletic's Jordan Rodrigue compiled a list of 15 rookies who are most likely to be future draft hits based on her conversations with sources throughout the league. The catch: None of them could be first-round picks.
Rodrigue's consulted sources included her beat writer colleagues, coaches, execs, and whatever Rodrigue herself was able to glean from training camp action. Landon Robinson made the cut. Here's what an NFC exec said about Robinson's preseason performance:
"Was certainly on the radar. How does the (balance) end up working between rush flashes and run defense trust? Based on the preseason, (his) quicks and hands can impact as a rusher."
Yeah and as NFL Media expert Brian Baldinger analyzed, Robinson's ability to move around and play nose tackle in addition to the 3-technique makes him all the more dangerous.
Should clarify that Robinson is indeed the lowest-drafted player on the list. A couple undrafted free agents made it, but otherwise, it's predominantly second- and third-round picks.
It's only a matter of time before Robinson eclipses Kris Jenkins Jr. in the suddenly-deep defensive line rotation. He's already a superior player and it isn't close. Robinson brings so much more juice as a pass rusher, and his low center of gravity gives him a lot of leverage to defend the run well.
Granted, we'll see what Robinson looks like when he's not facing backups, but if you put a freaky athlete like him next to, you know, Dexter Lawrence, I'm pretty sure he'll have some favorable matchups that he can win.
Good time to remind people that I had Robinson 100th on my pre-draft big board and he wasn't selected until the 226th overall pick. Such low draft status doesn't guarantee a roster spot, especially when the Bengals had so much invested at the defensive tackle position already.
But Robinson made it. Yes he did. And he made me look like a freakin' genius in the process, so I'm grateful for his exceptional efforts. I mean I am a genius. A ball-knowing, totally stable genius. But again, if you've read Stripe Hype for any decent period of time, you already know that.
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