He only played four total snaps on defense, but second-year LB Mark Robinson made those four snaps count Sunday night against the Las Vegas Raiders.
The former seventh-round pick in 2022 got some run late in the season last year, having many expecting him to take on a bigger role in 2023. However, Pittsburgh went to work overhauling their inside linebacker room this offseason, signing the likes of Cole Holcomb, Elandon Roberts, and Kwon Alexander to all play ahead of Robinson on defense as battle-tested veterans with notable NFL experience and production.
The Film
Robinson didn’t see the field on defense in Pittsburgh’s first two games of the season but was getting work as one of Pittsburgh’s core special teamers. He opened the matchup with the Raiders with a literal bang when Pittsburgh punted after going three-and-out on their first drive, flying down the field to take down WR/KR DeAndre Carter at the 10-yard line for wonderful coverage on the punt team.
As mentioned above, Robinson managed to get on the field in Week Three against Las Vegas, seeing just four snaps on defense compared to the 20 special teams snaps he played. Still, Robinson was around the football quite a lot on those snaps, logging four total tackles on those snaps, as well as on kick and punt coverage during the game.
Outside of one pass play to the opposite side of the field, Robinson was in on the play on the rest of his three snaps. On his first play, we see him line up to the right on the strong side of the formation. He fills the gap on the snap and squares up RB Josh Jacobs in the hole, shooting his hips through and wrapping him up as the rest of the defense rallies to take Jacobs to the ground.
He makes a similar play on this rep, showing good discipline to not over-pursue and keep his shoulders square to the line of scrimmage as he locates Jacobs attempting to cut back to the right, wrapping up the runner by the waist and drags him down to the ground for the stop for a minimal gain.
On Robinson’s third run defense snap, we see him line up as the middle backer and flow to the opposite A-gap where Jacobs is running the ball. Robinson is met by LT Kolton Miller who helps on the double team on DL Isaiahh Loudermilk before climbing to the second level to pick up Robinson. Miller has the clear size advantage over Robinson, standing 6-8, 325 pounds compared to Robinson being listed at 5’11, 235 pounds. Miller gives Robinson a big shot on first contact, knocking Robinson back, but he manages to stay on his feet and get in on the tackle with S Keanu Neal coming in from box safety to bring Jacobs down for a gain of five yards.
Conclusion
It’s not a big sample size, but it’s good to see Mark Robinson see snaps on defense against the Raiders and make a notable impact when in the game. You saw more discipline from him against Las Vegas than you did last season. He made an effort to be in a good position and not over-pursue in run defense. He was an effective tackler both on defense as well as on special teams, locating ball carriers and being successful at getting them down to the ground.
DC Teryl Austin mentioned earlier this summer that he hoped that Robinson could compete for a starting job next season, pointing to 2024 as his potential time to shine. He called him a work in progress based on the fact he was playing running back at Presbyterian College just a couple of years ago and is still adjusting to the nuances of playing linebacker at the NFL level. But they saw enough from him last season as a rookie to try and bring him along slowly, allowing him to become a core special teamer while he continues to develop and refine his game behind the veterans on the roster.
Well, that’s exactly what Robinson has been doing, and showed a good step forward on Sunday night albeit on a very limited sample size. He still has a long way to go in terms of coverage and all the intricacies of playing the off-ball linebacker position, but Robinson is a true throwback when it comes to playing the game with physicality and aggression as a hitter. With Alexander a free agent after the season and Roberts approaching his age 30 season next year, Robinson could be in line for an elevated role on defense should he continue to develop and impress the coaching staff behind the scenes as well as in the opportunities he does get this season.
