2024 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Darius Robinson

Strengths

• Crazy length (34^7/8 inch arms) and uses it well
• Heavy hands against the pass and run
• Strong upper body to control the point of attack, can ragdoll weaker offensive linemen
• Converts speed to power to knock back offensive linemen
• High-motor player who leaves it all on the field
• Can set the edge in the run game as well as anyone in this class
• Great awareness to diagnose plays and quickly find ball carriers
• Tight ends simply don't have the size to contain him 
• Multi-year captain for Missouri
• Has played all over the defensive line in his career
• Improved each season

Weaknesses

• Will get hit with the "tweener" label
• Not a bendy pass rusher
• At his current weight, doesn't have the speed to threaten the edge consistently in the NFL
• Stiffness to his game limits upside
• Plays too upright at times and loses the leverage game
• Doesn't have a go-to pass rush move if a power rush doesn't work

Final Thoughts and Chicago Bears Fit for Darius Robinson

The best way to describe Robinson is that he's a football player. It sounds simplistic, but the dude was built in a lab to play defensive line. It's rare to see a player who's so new to the game use his length as effectively as Robinson does.

The Chicago Bears need another defensive end opposite Montez Sweat, and you can bet Matt Eberflus and Ryan Poles will be targeting a player who looks and plays a lot like Robinson. At 6-foot-5 and 291 pounds, he's one of the most heavy-handed and powerful defensive ends in the 2024 NFL Draft. He uses his length (nearly 35-inch arms) extremely well, and once he gets his hands into the chest plate of an offensive lineman, he dictates the rest of the rep to win the point of attack.

Robinson has played all over the defensive line for the Tigers, mostly as a 3-technique defensive tackle in 2021 and 2022 before converting to more of a 5- and 6-tech this past season.

At his current weight, Robinson's best fit in the NFL is probably a 5-tech defensive end in an odd front. But if he were to be drafted by the Bears, they could ask him to shed some weight and get to around 270 pounds to unlock some more explosiveness. For what it's worth, in a recent interview with The Draft Network, he mentioned his playing weight is around 280 pounds, which is much more reasonable for a base defensive end. 

In the last few years, the Bears have targeted players who can do just that. Just look at some of the defensive ends they've brought in recently and see if you can spot a trend:

• Montez Sweat: 6'6", 262 lbs, 35^3/4 inch arms
• DeMarcus Walker: 6'4", 280 lbs, 33^1/2 inch arms
• Rasheem Green: 6'4", 279 lbs, 33^3/4 inch arms
• Khalid Kareem: 6'4", 268 lbs, 34^3/8 inch arms
• Al-Quadin Muhammad: 6'4", 258 lbs, 33^1/4 inch arms

Big and long with positional versatility is Chicago's cup of tea, and Robinson certainly fits that profile as well. With a good Senior Bowl showing, he could start sneaking into some top-50 prospect lists.

Pro Comparison: Ezekial Ansah (even front) or Keion White (odd front)