The Chicago Bears drafted Dominique Robinson, who is the ultimate player to bet on during day three of the NFL draft. Robinson is a project for sure, but the upside is sky high, and if he hits he is well worth the risk of if he does not. What is it that attracted the Chicago Bears to Dominique Robinson?
3. Dominique Robinson played WR at college
A lot of the time you hear about the best athlete being a wideout or running back, and maybe even quarterback in high school before becoming something wild such as an offensive tackle or defensive lineman. More prominently you see safeties become linebackers or cornerbacks become safeties while at college.
However, very rarely do you see a player go to school and play Division One football as a wide receiver, then a year later you see them rushing the passer as a defensive end.
Robinson was a quarterback in high school and was a special teams asset his first year at Miami, Ohio on his way to becoming a wide receiver. Dominique Robinson caught 27 passes for 352 yards and four touchdowns between the 2018 and 2019 seasons.
Then, he switched to a defensive end. It happened during the pandemic season, but it was immediate and he played every game of the shortened 2020 on the edge. 2021 was the year that he broke out and become an NFL prospect, though. Still, one year of transition is a very small amount of time playing a position. This is a very raw athlete.
2. Dominique Robinson Stats
Talk about being raw, Dominque Robinson has played 540 snaps on edge in his career. That includes 314 snaps rushing the passer. Over that span, he spent 280 snaps outside the tackle, 244 inside the tackle, nine off of the football, and 7 on the interior. He also played 221 special teams snaps.
As a pass rusher, Dominque Robinson has six sacks, six hits, and 20 hurries. He has a pass rush win rate of 13.9% according to PFF, which was in the 75th percentile last season. His run stop rate was 6.4% which was just slightly above average.
Still, considering these were his first snaps at a new position, it is good to see that he is above average at getting to the passer, and was good enough to be trusted as a run defender.
Robinson did not have the stiffest competition in the MAC, but he did face off with Minnesota, which meant Daniel Faalele, as well as Bernard Raimann, from Central Michigan. We know that the Chicago Bears had an interest in Raimann, so perhaps the tape that Robinson showed in that game is what Poles and his group over the edge to draft him.
1. Dominque Robinson Athleteticsm
The bet on athleticsm is why Dominique Robinson is intriguing. Still, this is not a Myles Garrett-like athlete that is yet to be unlocked. More likely you are looking at the upside of someone who becomes a rotational pass rusher. Looking at the size and athletic profile of Dominque Robinson can help you see what he brings to the table.
Below are two players who compare favorably to Robinson and would be good outcomes considering the day three investment.
"View post on imgur.com"
D.J. Wonnum is a great NFL comparison for Dominque Robinson. Wonnum was a raw pass rusher who fell into the fourth round because he was all upside and athleticism. It took him a year, but during his second NFL season, he recorded eight sacks for the Vikings.
We do not view Wonnum as a high-profile name, but he is a contributor and he can use his traits and find sacks. Robinson fell even further in the draft than Wonnum, but the upside can be described similarly. If that is the outcome Chicago gets it has to be viewed as a win.