Why the Detroit Lions should draft EDGE Darius Robinson

Here’s why the Detroit Lions should draft Darius Robinson with the 29th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

While Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes has made some surprise draft picks along the way, the kind of player he has selected in his three years in Detroit has been remarkably consistent.

Football character is a non-negotiable for the Lions. According to Holmes it’s the ultimate separator between a good players and a great one. This mantra has led most draft experts to rightfully look for “Dan Campbell guys” when pairing a draft prospect to Detroit. So while Holmes has occasionally shocked with the position he’s targeting or how early (or late) he may pick a prospect, the actual player selected has rarely been a surprise.

That leads us to the 2024 NFL Draft, where I believe there is one prospect that is such a prototypical example of a “Dan Campbell guy” that we don’t need to overthink this 29th overall pick.

Missouri defensive end Darius Robinson is a perfect fit for the Detroit Lions, and he should be the pick at 29.

Previously:

• Why the Lions should draft Zak Zinter
• Why the Lions should draft Mike Sainristil
• Why the Lions should draft Chop Robinson

Character fit

Robinson blew the media away with his NFL Combine podium sessions (you can watch here). He was bright, energetic, and, most importantly, he was brimming with confidence—and his love of football shined through immediately.

“I play every position,” Robinson said. “I play zero (technique), I play a nine. I can run, I can hit, I get my hands inside. I can do anything, man. Just give me an opportunity to put my cleats in the ground. I showed at the Senior Bowl, I got better each and every day against the best competition in college football. I played in the SEC, which is the best conference in college football. I don’t want to talk about myself too much, just cut the tape and it’ll tell you.”

Robinson, a Detroit native, also met with the Lions at the Combine and at their local pro day, and this bit from him will tell you everything you need to know about him meshing with Campbell.

“My heart was bumping, man,” Robinson said, per MLive. “I’m telling you, it was like a dream just to see all the names (and) faces, growing up a Lions fan. That was a great interview.”

Robinson was also a two-time captain who opted to stay an extra year at Missouri, and it paid off big time—going from 5.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks in 2022 to 14.0 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks in 2023.

Style fit

Here’s what new defensive line coach Terrell Williams wants in his defensive line:

“You gotta play violent, and you gotta play with effort,” Williams said at the Combine. “The violent element of it, that’s a big part of playing that position. You want guys that accept that. You have to accept that’s just what that position is. It’s a violent, high-collision position, and you’ve gotta play with effort, and if you can’t do that, you’re gonna have a hard time playing.”

Violence and effort are probably the two best ways to describe how Robinson plays. Don’t worry, I brought visual evidence.

You want violence? Robinson’s speed to power moves exemplify that.

You want effort? Robinson is relentlessness personified.

Scheme fit

It’s extremely simple to see where Robinson fits into the Lions defense because they already have two players who fill similar roles: Josh Paschal and John Cominsky. Of course, having two players who already play that position could be a reason to pass on Robinson, but Holmes has consistently proven that he isn’t afraid of upgrading a position, even if that room is already quite full. And don’t get it twisted, Robinson would be an upgrade over both of those players.

On early downs, Robinson would likely play the right side defensive end, moving anywhere from a wide-9 technique to the 5-tech right over the left tackle. In subpackages, Robinson could very well kick inside to give Detroit some interior pass rush on obvious passing downs. And luckily for the Lions, Robinson has experience at all of these positions. While he was mostly an interior guy for his first few years at Missouri, his breakout year in 2023 was mostly played at the EDGE.

And therein lies where he’s—in my opinion—a clear upgrade from Paschal and Cominsky: his pass rush potential. First, all you have to do is look at production. Paschal’s best season at Kentucky produced just 5.0 sacks. Cominsky’s best year had 6.5 sacks, but that was at pretty low level of competition.

Meanwhile, Robinson had 8.5 sacks last year in the SEC, and despite having the build of a stout, strong run defender, he’s consistently displayed surprising technical skills as a pass rusher. His 17.0 pass rush win percentage (per PFF) ranks 22nd in the nation among edge defender with at least 260 pass rushing snaps last year and his 42 pressures was tied for 39th.

Here’s him dominating two reps against projecting first or second-round pick Tyler Guyton at the Senior Bowl:

The hand usage is way more advanced than you see out of many EDGE prospects in this draft.

Of course, the Lions are also going to fall in love with this guy due to his obvious ability to defend the run—tenet of Detroit’s defensive philosophy. The tape (and 83.3 PFF run defense grade) can speak for itself, but here’s a quote that will undoubtedly make Campbell, Williams, and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn fall in love with the kid.

“I’m physical, man. Inside run is my favorite period in practice. Whatever it takes, I just line up and I hit,” Robinson said.

Weaknesses

People will likely point to his lack of athleticism as their primary concern with Robinson. As a pure EDGE defender, he’s built nothing like the elite pass rushers: he’s neither slim nor explosive off the line. He’s not going to be the kind of edge bender that will help him to reach 15 sacks a season.

My counter would be: so what? That’s not how Robinson wins, and that really hasn’t been the kind of player the Lions have valued. They like size, they like length, they like physicality and edge setting, and Robinson is off the charts in all of those areas.

And if you’re worried about Robinson’s ability to pass rush because of his poor speed and agility marks, just consider the fact that he’s likely to act as a defensive tackle in pass rushing situations. And I’m guessing you’ll like the look of his athletic scores as an interior defender a little more:

So slide Robinson inside on third down and let James Houston and/or Marcus Davenport take over the edge as your speedy, bendy player.

To me, the biggest question about drafting Robinson is what it would do to Paschal’s development. Several Lions have made Year 3 jumps, and Paschal is a prime candidate to do it in 2024. With so much overlapping skills between Paschal and Robinson, would the competition between the two bring out the best in each other, or would Detroit suffer from a surplus in one position while deficits in others?

Overall

While Robinson may not be the elite pass rusher that many are hoping to pair opposite Aidan Hutchinson to draw lineman away from the Pro Bowl defender, he is a pretty clean fit in what the Lions like to do with that position. He’s a potential elite run defender that brings more pass rushing potential than most players currently on the roster.

And while he may not make the biggest impact in his rookie season given the depth at certain defensive line positions, having him grow for a year behind the likes of Cominsky, Paschal, and DJ Reader should only help his development to eventually become a key three-down defender.