One of college football’s most impressive athletes is headed to the NFL.
Navy defensive tackle Landon Robinson watched his professional dreams come to fruition as the 226th overall selection in the 2026 NFL Draft, when his name was called by the Cincinnati Bengals. Robinson was the third American Conference player picked in 2026 and the first from Navy.
After safety Rayuan Lane’s selection by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2025, this marks the first time since 2015 and 2016 that the Midshipmen produced
draft picks in consecutive seasons.
Robinson commanded significant attention from opposing offensive lines at Navy, earning AP First Team All-American honors. He was the first Navy player to earn a First Team All-American nod from any outlet since Napoleon McCallum in 1985 and the first to earn such honors from the Associated Press since Chet Moeller in 1975. Robinson earned status as the 2025 American Conference Defensive Player of the Year and recorded back-to-back First Team All-American Conference selections in 2024 and 2025. The defensive tackle was also one of seven semifinalists for the Outland Trophy, which recognizes the top o-lineman/interior defensive lineman in the NFL.
The All-American logged a 2025 stat-line of 6.5 sacks, 8.5 tackles for loss, and 64 tackles for the 2025 Mishipmen — a team which tied the program record with 11 wins and finished No. 23 in the AP Poll. In 2024, he managed 61 tackles, 4.0 sacks, and two forced fumbles for a 10-win Navy squad. But perhaps his most interesting nugget in the stat sheet are his rushing numbers. He turned three fake punts into 87 rushing yards — generating 24 vs. SMU in 2023, 34 vs. South Florida in 2024, and 29 in an iconic moment that defined the 2024 Army-Navy Game.
Robinson’s numbers off the field are just as impressive. He is capable of squatting 665 pounds, benching 465 pounds, and at 5’11” and 287 pounds, he’s clocked as fast as 20.13 miles per hour on the Catapult tracking system. Robinson was not invited to the NFL Combine, but he backed those numbers up at Pro Day. Despite measuring as an undersized defensive tackle, the Navy star made up for his lack of size with his athleticism. He finished with a 4.87-second 40-yard dash, a 32.5-inch vertical jump, and a 9-foot-2-inch broad jump, while grading elite in the agility drills for a defensive tackle.
Prior to arriving at Navy, Robinson was a 2-star linebacker prospect at Copley High School in Akron, OH. He didn’t play a single down in 2022, prior to 2023 he added 60 pounds, allowing him to make a seamless transition to nose guard. The rest was history for the 230th overall selection.
Robinson is the first Navy defensive lineman drafted since 1993, and the Ohio native launches his professional career in his home state. He arrives to a Cincinnati Bengals team which heavily addressed the defensive tackle position this offseason, recently trading a first round pick for Giants star Dexter Lawrence and acquiring veteran Jonathan Allen in free agency. Robinson has established veterans to learn from as he tests the waters of the NFL, hoping to wreak havoc just like he did at Navy.
