One of my favorite things to do every offseason is to go back and compare my post-draft notes on the Eagles’ rookies with how they actually looked when they got on the field. It’s a fun blend of film study, self-evaluation, and a check on how well certain traits really translate to the NFL. I won’t be writing full scouting reports here, as I did that after the draft. This series is more about reviewing last year’s film in comparison to my pre-draft thoughts. Did the player perform as expected? Did anything
surprise me? And what do I think comes next? At the end of each article, I’ll give my updated outlook for that player in the future.
Previously: Jihaad Campbell / Andrew Mukuba
Ty Robinson
Ty Robinson was probably the Eagles draft pick I was least excited about on draft weekend. Not because I disliked the player, but because I had watched 15 defensive tackles before the draft, and Robinson was the 16th on my list to watch. Sigh. After getting over the initial disappointment, Robinson became one of my favorite players to study.
“he’s the most fun player I’ve watched that the Eagles drafted and he plays like a wrecking ball.”
His effort level jumped off the screen at Nebraska, and although I wasn’t convinced he had the physical tools to become a star, I thought the Eagles had drafted someone who could carve out an immediate role in their defensive line rotation. Looking back now, that looks incredibly optimistic. I wasn’t projecting Robinson to become the next Moro Ojomo or Milton Williams.
“I’m not sure he has the physical traits ever to become a high-level starter”
Robinson was already 24 years old as a rookie, which is exactly why I believed he’d contribute immediately. Older prospects are usually more physically and mentally prepared for the NFL than younger developmental players, and I felt Robinson’s experience would allow him to play meaningful snaps from Day One.
“I feel pretty convinced that he will have a role as a rookie and contribute immediately”
I expected a dependable rotational defensive tackle who could defend the run on early downs, provide the occasional interior pass rush, and give the Eagles solid, unspectacular football.
Most of the weaknesses I highlighted before the draft ended up appearing during Robinson’s rookie season. What I completely misjudged was how much those weaknesses would limit him early in his career. I thought Robinson’s strengths would outweigh the flaws enough for him to become a useful rotational player straight away. Instead, they prevented him from earning Vic Fangio’s trust at all.
Things I Expected
My expectations for Robinson were never particularly ambitious. I expected a reliable fourth defensive tackle who could play 20 to 30 snaps a game and allow the Eagles to keep their stars fresh. However, looking back at my report, the weaknesses I saw on film were the same ones we saw last year.
In my weakness section from last year, I mentioned all of this…
“he doesn’t always show quickness or explosiveness in games despite very good testing numbers”
“he can play too upright”
“he lacks a counter when his go-to move (the club) doesn’t work”
“he ends up on the ground a little too often.”
Those concerns were everywhere on film last year. He didn’t look explosive. He was far too upright against the run, and had no counter when his club move didn’t work. His club move did work once or twice, but he had nothing when offensive linemen knew that was coming. There was not much else about his rookie season that I saw coming. In hindsight, I wasn’t wrong about his strengths and weaknesses, but I was wrong about how it would translate.
He did flash a few of the traits that I liked in college, such as a strong club move once or twice, and he made a couple of plays against the run that reminded me of Ty Robinson from college, but there wasn’t much else.
And even when we see him win vs outside zone, which was something he was outstanding at in college, he still couldn’t finish and make the tackle. This has to be better. His real strength was moving laterally and winning against outside runs.
Things That Surprised Me
The biggest surprise wasn’t just Robinson’s lack of playing time. The Eagles had one of the deepest defensive line rotations in football. What surprised me was how he looked when he actually got on the field. The film was bad.
Robinson turned 25 during his second offseason and was older than Moro Ojomo despite Ojomo already entering his fourth NFL season. Normally, older interior defensive linemen are viewed as players with lower ceilings but higher floors. They may never become stars, but they’re often ready to contribute much sooner than younger prospects.
Robinson finished his rookie season with just 104 defensive snaps, and 51 of those came in Week 18 after the Eagles rested their starters. Strip that game away, and he played just 53 meaningful defensive snaps all season. For a player I expected to have one of the highest floors in the class, that’s a bad outcome. It wasn’t just that Robinson failed to become an important rotational player. He barely became part of the rotation at all.
That’s where my evaluation missed the mark. I believed Robinson’s age and experience made him one of the safest projections in the Eagles’ draft class. Instead, his rookie season suggested he was much further away from contributing than I ever anticipated. I expected Robinson to arrive as a relatively polished player. I was wrong.
The biggest concern was his run defense. There were too many snaps where he struggled simply to hold his ground. Double teams gave him real problems, which isn’t unusual for an undersized interior defensive lineman listed at 6-foot-5 and 288 pounds. More worrying were the snaps where he lost against single blockers. Robinson played too upright, lost leverage far too easily, and was moved off the ball much more frequently than I anticipated.
His pass rushing wasn’t much better. Early in the season, Robinson beat Jon Runyan Jr. with an impressive club move that immediately caught my attention. This was what he did in college!
Robinson relied heavily on that same club move throughout the season, and once offensive linemen handled it, there was very little else to threaten them. If his first move failed, the rep was usually over. There was little evidence of a developed counter move or a clear pass-rush plan.
The most surprising thing, though, was how different Robinson looked compared to the player I watched at Nebraska. In college, he played like a wrecking ball. He was relentless, violent, and constantly around the football. His film was hilarious at times. That version of Robinson rarely appeared as a rookie.
Instead, he looked tentative, almost as if he was thinking rather than reacting. He ended up on the ground far too often, looked uncomfortable playing through contact, and never seemed to play with the same confidence that defined his college tape. Maybe that’s simply what happens when a rookie barely sees the field. Maybe long stretches without meaningful snaps disrupted his rhythm. Whatever the reason, I came away feeling like I hadn’t seen the same player the Eagles drafted.
Questions I Still Have
1. Can he play on run downs?
This is easily my biggest question. His rookie film suggested he simply wasn’t ready. He struggled to anchor against double teams and, more concerningly, there were too many snaps where he lost ground against single blockers. If Robinson can’t become a reliable run defender, it’s difficult to see how Vic Fangio can trust him with meaningful defensive snaps. The Eagles need a DT4 to contribute on 1st and 2nd down. Robinson must improve in this area.
2. Can he become part of the pass-rush rotation?
The athletic profile is intriguing, but it didn’t consistently translate to pass rush production. The Eagles desperately need another interior defensive tackle who can rush the passer. Robinson doesn’t need to become Milton Williams overnight, but he does need to prove he can consistently affect the quarterback if he’s going to carve out a role.
3. Can he develop another move besides the club?
This feels like the key to everything. Robinson’s club move flashed occasionally, but NFL offensive linemen adjusted quickly. Too many rushes ended the same way: his first move was stopped, he had no effective counter, and the rep was over. If his hand usage and technique improve, his athletic traits finally have a chance to show up on the field.
The Future
Unlike my reviews of Jihaad Campbell and Andrew Mukuba, I don’t come away from Robinson’s rookie season feeling more confident than I did twelve months ago. This is a huge offseason for Robinson.
The Eagles didn’t draft him as a raw 20-year-old with years of physical development ahead of him. They drafted a 24-year-old, six-year college player because they believed he could contribute sooner rather than later. Instead, he barely saw the field and, when he did, he didn’t play well.
The Bull Case: The year on the sidelines proves valuable. Robinson’s technique catches up with his athletic ability. He develops a more complete pass-rush plan and begins to play with the confidence and violence that defined his Nebraska tape. He becomes the Eagles’ clear DT4, which is a real position of need because Byron Young was bad last year, and he helps reduce Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis’ workload and establishes himself as a dependable rotational player who makes a splash play or two. That was always the role I envisioned when the Eagles drafted him.
The Bear Case: He continues to struggle against the run, the pass-rush repertoire never expands beyond the club move, and he still can’t earn Fangio’s trust. If that happens, Robinson could find himself fighting for a roster spot rather than a place in the defensive line rotation. At 25 years old, the Eagles won’t give him long to learn, especially with Howie Roseman constantly investing in the trenches.
Ultimately, this feels like a now-or-never season. Training camp is massive for Robinson. More than almost any other player on the roster, he has to look noticeably different than he did a year ago. If he shows clear improvement, there’s still every reason to believe he can become the dependable rotational defensive tackle I expected when he was drafted. If he looks like the same player we saw during his rookie season, it becomes increasingly difficult to see where he fits in the Eagles’ long-term plans.
His rookie season was a reminder that experience doesn’t automatically translate into NFL readiness. Sometimes, even the oldest prospects still need plenty of development.
If you want to go much deeper into Ty Robinson’s film, I have just recorded a film breakdown on him that goes into each play in more depth over on my Patreon. I’d appreciate your support if you’d like even more Eagles film content.
