A’Shawn Robinson, DL, Los Angeles Rams
There are a handful of true game-changers along the interior offensive line in today’s NFL. Aaron Donald with the Los Angeles Rams is certainly one such player. He can impact a game in a variety of ways, which is something I learned preparing for Super Bowl LII. Just take a few moments and pour through this tread of Donald destroying worlds (and me getting more and more nauseous along the way):
Studying Aaron Donald today and starting to feel nauseous… pic.twitter.com/a93nR4xry4
— Mark Schofield (@MarkSchofield) January 28, 2019
Donald’s ability to win one-on-ones in the interior forces teams to slide their protection schemes towards him and/or double-team him, creating favorable matchups on the backside.
Enter A’Shawn Robinson. Selected by the Detroit Lions in the second round of the 2016 draft, Robinson has been more of a run stuffer than anything else during his time in the Motor City. His best year was probably the 2018 season, when he posted a grade of 91.3 against the run according to Pro Football Focus, notching a career-high 40 tackles.
But with this move west, he’ll have a running mate unlike any other in the league. He will be able to capitalize on favorable matchups and lots of one-on-one opportunities, with opposing offensive lines placing most of their focus on Donald. Robinson should thrive with the increased opportunities that result.