It’s been a bit of a whirlwind the last few months for Pittsburgh Steelers’ rookie linebacker Mark Robinson.
From being surprisingly drafted months after making a switch from running back to linebacker, to joining a deep, talented linebacker room overall in Pittsburgh in a relatively complex defensive scheme, Robinson has had to hit the ground running.
So far, he’s been able to pick things up rather quickly learning under the likes of Devin Bush, Myles Jack, Robert Spillane and more inside a crowded linebacker room. Despite the task ahead of him in making the 53-man roster in his first professional training camp, Robinson is embracing the grind, coming to work each day with the right mindset aiming to put his best foot forward and show the Steelers just what he can do between the white lines, he said during a recent interview with Steelers.com’s Teresa Varley.
“I’ve already learned so much. Always take care of your body. Always come in with the right mindset. Stress pre-practice routines like stretching, warming up properly, just being prepared,” Robinson said to Varley, according to a story via Steelers.com. “I know what I bring to the table. I have to show up prepared so I can be the best me, put my best foot forward. Everything else will fall into place. I need to just keep taking care of my body, studying my playbook, just having the right mindset, believing in who I am and getting ready to show them what I can do.”
Part of the challenge as a young player coming into the NFL is knowing how to fully be prepared day-in, day-out. It’s now a full-time job, rather than something the players had to manage in college around classes and studying and other social engagements. Now, being a football player is 24/7 in the NFL, and sometimes young players tend to be slow catching up to that and fall behind early in their careers.
It sounds like Robinson isn’t going to let that happen, having come into the Steelers’ facility with eyes wide open, trying to pick up anything and everything he can to put him in the best position possible to hit the ground running and make a name for himself in training camp.
Doing that, he believes everything will “fall into place” for him, much like it has to this point in his football career. Here’s hoping the intriguing young rookie linebacker is able to stay healthy and show what he’s made of in training camp right away.
