Why Canton great, Missouri DL Darius Robinson could go Round 1: 'I just line up and I hit'
INDIANAPOLIS — Darius Robinson gave up his hoop dreams before his junior year of high school to pursue a college scholarship for football. Seven years later, the Canton product is closing in on being a first-round pick in the NFL draft.
"I definitely think about where I started," Robinson said Wednesday at the NFL combine. "I didn't start playing football until my junior year of high school. Got to Mizzou as a freshman. Early on, I was weak. I had to work really hard, I had to learn to love the process and really get myself ready to play. And each year, I got better and better."
Robinson played everywhere on the defensive line during his five seasons at Missouri and finished his career as one of the SEC's best defensive ends.
He had a career-high 8.5 sacks last season after playing primarily as a 305-pound defensive tackle in 2022, and at 285 pounds was one of the breakout players at the Senior Bowl college all-star game.
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At the Senior Bowl, Robinson played on the team coached by new Lions defensive line coach Terrell Williams.
"Coach T, man," Williams said when asked what he learned from the experience. "Just be violent, be physical, pad level, get off. He's a great coach."
Williams projects as a top-40 pick in April's draft, with the potential to go late in Round 1.
On Wednesday, he called himself "the best defensive lineman in the draft" and said his experience playing everywhere on the Missouri defensive front sets him apart from his peers.
"Inside run is my favorite period of practice," he said. "Whatever that takes, I just line up and I hit."
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Along with his size (6 feet 5), length (nearly 35-inch arms) and physicality, Robinson has allure as a prospect because of his upside.
Robinson began his high school career as a basketball star at Canton Prep, where he said he was one of the team's best rebounders, before transferring to Canton to play football his junior year.
Had he not landed a football scholarship, he said he likely would have joined the Marines out of high school.
And while his lack of experience kept most big schools from pursuing him as a prospect, that same untapped potential has NFL teams drooling now.
"I'm constantly getting better," Robinson said. "(Former Missouri defensive coordinator Steve) Wilks, he always used to say, 'Stay greedy.' So I'm constantly evolving, constantly finding ways to get better. .... There should be a lot of high expectations for me and I've got to make sure to do my part to get better each and every day."
With the draft in Detroit, Robinson said he hopes to hear his name called and be able to walk across the stage in his hometown.
"That's my last goal, honestly, during this process," he said. "I grew up 20 minutes away. That would be a dream come true. That's why this combine, I'm got to compete, do the very best I can and see what happens. I really hope I get that opportunity."
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Why Missouri DL Darius Robinson (Canton) could go in Round 1 NFL draft
