The Cincinnati Bengals drafted Landon Robinson in the seventh round of the 2026 NFL Draft. Considered too small by some people, listed at 6’0” and 295 pounds, he has done nothing but continuously prove people wrong on the football field.
In his NFL preseason debut vs. the Detroit Lions, Robinson played a game-high 45 snaps on the defensive side of the ball. He made several splash plays, finishing the game with a sack and would have had another one, but drew a holding penalty instead. His pass rush
juice showed up throughout the night. He finished the game with a 76.9 pass rush grade on the night.
Robinson will need to keep improving as a run defender, grading out with a 55.9 grade. There is no doubt that he will do so for me; he is one of the hardest-working guys there is. Originally being lightly recruited, he arrived at Navy as a 240-pound high school linebacker. He put in the work to add a ton of good weight on his frame while moving to defensive tackle.
The Bengals have a deep defensive tackle room. Presumed starters are Dexter Lawrence and Jonathan Allen or BJ Hill. TJ Slaton will be the primary backup to Lawrence. Kris Jenkins is a former second-round pick who also recorded a sack on Thursday night. Do the Bengals consider trading Jenkins with the emergence of Landon Robinson? Would they find a way to keep six defensive tackles this year?
With two more preseason games to play, Robinson will make it difficult for them not to keep him on the 53-man roster.
