A’Shawn Robinson was a five-star recruit coming out of Arlington Heights in Fort Worth, Texas. Rivals ranked him as the 4th best defensive tackle and 33rd overall nationally in the 2013 class. He was recruited by the University of Texas and verbally committed to play there, but decommitted right before National Signing Day to play for Alabama. He enters the NFL as one of the top interior defensive line prospects in the 2016 NFL Draft.
Measureables
| DOB | March 21, 1995 | Bench (225 lbs) | 22 |
| Height | 6’4″ | Vertical Jump | 26″ |
| Weight | 307 lbs | Broad Jump | 8’10” |
| Arms | 34.5 in | 20 Yard Shuttle | 4.74 sec |
| Hands | 10.5 in | 3 Cone Drill | 7.8 sec |
| 40 Yard Dash (10 yd split) | 5.2 sec (1.79 sec) | 60 Yard Shuttle | DNP |
Stats and Awards
| University of Alabama (2013-2015) | |
| 2015 – 46 tackles (7.5 for loss), 3.5 sacks, 2 PDs | Consensus All-American, Outlander Award Finalist for Best Lineman |
| 2014 – 49 tackles (6.5 for loss), 3 PDs, 1 FF | Honorable Mention All-SEC Team |
| 2013 – 38 tackles (8.0 for loss), 5.5 sacks | SEC Coaches All-Freshman Team, Led Team in Sacks as True Freshman |
Scouting Report
- Good size and great arm length (34+ inches) to keep blockers off of him
- Experience at all positions on the defensive line, but should be an interior run stuffer in the NFL
- Great at being a 2-gap run stuffer using great leverage to hold down the point of attack
- Needs to develop his hands to separate from blockers after his initial push.
- Lack of explosion off of snap, shows a one speed motor
- Not a hungry pass rusher with little to no second effort
- Against Clemson was asked to play contain against QB DeShaun Watson and was sometimes beaten to the edge
- Projected 1st and 2nd down lineman with almost zero pass rushing skills
- Only move is bullrush. He showcases a powerful punch that dislodges guards/centers, but doesn’t fight through to completion to get to the quarterback.
- Virtually never uses counter pass rush moves. Bulljerk would be the most useful addition to his skill set with his excellent punch.
- Lots of experience with double teams, but doesn’t show an effort to fight through them. Content at being blocked.
- Not the quickest in read-and-react and will often be paralyzed by analysis to attack on handoff-keepers in front of him
- Does a good job about getting his hands up to block passing lanes
- Effort is hit or miss. Definitely took plays off.
- Strong tackler when he gets his hands on the ballcarrier.
- A prospect where his production should NOT be used as a metric for his transition to the pros.
- Occasionally used as a fullback on offense to lead block in goal line situations.
Film Study
Standing at 6’4″ 307 lbs, Robinson has a great build for an interior defensive lineman for any team that needs an upgrade in defending the run. This strength, his physique, plus his potential to learn pass rush skills will be what is valued by GMs when they are deciding on him as a prospect. He’s surprisingly athletic for his size, but rarely showcased it with hit-or-miss effort:
Pass Rush
Robinson has a great punch off of the line of scrimmage to dislodge guards and centers, but needs to work on finishing the blocker in order to get to the quarterback. Adding a rip move and a bulljerk counter move to his repertoire of pass rush skills will greatly enhance his ability to get to the quarterback.
Although Robinson rarely got to the quarterback after his freshman season, he did a good job of getting his hands up to block throwing lanes for opposing quarterbacks.
Robinson seemed content being blocked displaying no second level effort to get to the quarterback. He simply isn’t a hungry pass rusher. This is especially true against double teams.
During the National Championship game versus Clemson, he was given contain responsibilities, but failed allowing the quarterback to get by for a big gain.
