2024 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Missouri DL Darius Robinson

From now until the 2024 NFL Draft, we will scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top-10 picks, all the way down to Day 3 selections and priority undrafted free agents. Today, I’ll a scouting report on Missouri DL Darius Robinson.

#6 Darius Robinson/DL Missouri – 6051, 285 lbs. (Senior)

MEASUREMENTS

The Good

– Great frame, capable of adding weight/bulk, with elite-level length
– Strong upper body, stout at the point of attack and hard to move against the run
– Plays with impressive pad level and leverage
– Excellent bull rush, potent punch and able to walk tackles into the pocket
– Uses hands well to slip blocks in run game
– Able to disengage as a pass rusher, club/over and swim are top moves along with bull
– Acceptable snap timing off the ball
– Experience playing in a 3-4 system that featured plenty of stunts and blitzes
– Versatile, played DT until 2023, kicking out to DE
– Played both end spots with some time on his feet as a stand-up linebacker
– Good production in top-tier conference
– Quality starting experience
– Showed toughness in playing through injuries
– Regarded as locker room leader

The Bad

– A bit lanky in his upper body and could fill out his frame
– Lacks top-end explosion and athleticism
– Can have trouble cornering and flattening on the edge as a pass rusher
– Prone to getting stuck on blocks if bull rush fails
– Needs to be more consistent finishing plays in run game, getting off block a split-second sooner
– Only one year of good production
– Fifth-year college player, older than other prospects

Bio

– 47 games, 30 starts for the Tigers
– Career: 111 tackles (21 TFL) 13 sacks, 1 FF
– 2023: 43 tackles (14 TFL) 8.5 sacks, 1 FF
– First-team All-SEC (AP and Coaches) in 2023
– Three-star recruit from Southfield, Mich., chose Missouri over Colorado, Michigan, and Minnesota among 23 total offers, wanted to play in SEC
– Battled calf and groin injuries in 2023, missing one game
– Two-time team captain
– Community-focused throughout college career, organized back-to-school drive through local church in 2023
– Primarily played basketball growing up
– Didn’t begin playing organized football until his junior year of high school (first high school he attended didn’t have football program, later transferred), playing DE, OLB, and TE

Tape Breakdown

Missouri DL Darius Robinson is my first profile of the year. Given his measurables, he was someone worth checking out. It’s difficult to find players with the body type Pittsburgh looks for in defensive ends. Players who are 6-5, 300 pounds with 33-plus inch arms.

Robinson? Check, check, and check. He looks the part. While we don’t have an official arm length, those numbers as of Jan. 23 come from Senior Bowl Director Jim Nagy, and Robinson will be in Mobile, Ala., later this month for his official weigh-in.

It’s worth pointing out, though, that Robinson is a bit higher-cut and lankier than the typical Steelers defensive end. Not quite the bulk you look for but there’s room for him to add weight, and I primarily watched 2023 when perhaps he slimmed down a bit to play end after previously spending time at defensive tackle.

On tape, Robinson is strong. He’s stout at the point of attack and holds up well against the run. While he’s tall, he plays with good pad level and leverage.

In the three clips, he’s the RDE (going up against the LT), the LDE (going up against the right tackle), and the RDE (going up against the LT, No. 71 against Georgia).

As a pass rusher, his bull rush is powerful and effective, capable of walking linemen back and collapsing the pocket. Here, he’s the RDE on the LT.

And in these two clips, he’s also working on the LT.

He pairs that with variety and finesse moves, active hands and a club-over (like Keeanu Benton) to shed blocks. Overall, his hand use and technique to defeat blocks are impressive. Examples of both. He’s on the right tackle in the first clip, left tackle in the second clip, and on the right tackle in the final two clips against Tennessee.

He played in a “pro-style” defense. Missouri ran a 3-4 front, and he played plenty of 4i and a little bit of five-tech. He was athletic enough to stand up and play on his feet, though I only watched him drop into coverage once and he’s not going to be someone covering curl/flat routes very often if at all. While he can flatten as a pass rusher, he’s not incredibly twitchy or fluid and NFL tackles will be able to seal him upfield. He can also get stuck on blocks if his bull doesn’t work and needs to refine his counters.

Working on the left tackle here.

He also rushed out of a four-point stance quite a bit in college, something he’ll do a lot less of in the NFL, especially the more he plays along the interior.

Intangibly, he checks the boxes of playing in the SEC, having plenty of experience, being a two-time captain, and seemingly a positive presence off the field. Nothing that even hinted at a character red flag. He played hurt throughout most of his senior season but missed minimal time, his coach noting that Robinson played every snap of his bowl game, the final one of his career, despite a groin injury. Missouri earned the upset win over Ohio State. Robinson will hit the “hearts and smarts” that the Steelers look for.

Conclusion

Overall, Robinson is a solid prospect. He’s physical, strong against the run, and a no-nonsense pass rusher capable of collapsing the pocket. For the Steelers’ evaluation, his scheme also makes him an easier projection, which has made Wisconsin players extra attractive to the team. Robinson doesn’t have the high-end athleticism of a Stephon Tuitt or the burst and hips of him or Keeanu Benton and he’s not as built like or quite as strong as Cam Heyward. But he’s a solid player.

I wonder if he’s still best suited for a 4-3 strongside end type of role but if he can add weight, there’s a fit for the Steelers. My NFL comparison is Zach Allen, a third-round pick of the Arizona Cardinals in 2019 who turned into a good player with them and the Denver Broncos.

Projection: Mid-Late Day Two
Depot Draft Grade: 8.2 – Future Quality Starter (Second Round)
Games Watched: at Kentucky (2023), vs South Carolina (2023), at Georgia (2023), vs Tennessee (2023)