A'Shawn Robinson

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A'Shawn Robinson
A'Shawn Robinson All-American Bowl.jpg
Robinson at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, 2013
No. 94 – Carolina Panthers
Position: Defensive end
Personal information
Born: (1995-03-21) March 21, 1995 (age 29)
Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.
Height:6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:320 lb (145 kg)
Career information
High school: Fort Worth (TX) Arlington Heights
College: Alabama (2013–2015)
NFL draft: 2016  / round: 2 / pick: 46
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 3, 2024
Tackles:373
Sacks:7.0
Forced fumbles:5
Fumble recoveries:3
Pass deflections:19
Interceptions:1
Defensive touchdowns:1
Stats at Pro Football Reference

A'Shawn Robinson (born March 21, 1995) [1] is an American professional football defensive end for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Alabama. He was selected by the Detroit Lions in the second round of the 2016 NFL draft and has also played in the NFL for the Los Angeles Rams, with whom he won Super Bowl LVI.

Contents

Robinson was a five-star recruit out of high school, with one service listing him as the nation's top defensive tackle. [2] Robinson played in all 13 of Alabama's games in the 2013 season and started in two games. Robinson was the only true freshman under head coach Nick Saban at Alabama to lead the team in sacks. [3] At 320 pounds, Robinson would line-up at both defensive end and tackle for Alabama during his freshman season. In his junior season, he appeared at fullback in goal line situations in games against LSU and Michigan State in addition to starting on the defensive line.

Early life

A native of Fort Worth, Texas, Robinson attended Arlington Heights High School. In addition to football, he competed on his high school's varsity basketball and track & field teams. [4] A two-way lineman for the Arlington Heights Yellowjackets football team, Robinson was coached by Todd Whitten in his senior season. [2] After the season, Robinson played for the West squad in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, and was selected to the 2012 USA Today All-American Second-team.

Considered a five-star recruit by Rivals.com, [5] Robinson was listed as the No. 4 defensive tackle in the nation in 2013. [6] [7] ESPN listed him as a four-star recruit and ranked him 105th overall on their "ESPN 300" ranking. [8] Robinson chose to attend Alabama over Texas, Southern California, Louisiana State, Arkansas, and Florida State. He was originally verbally committed to attend Texas as of February 2012. [9] Just prior to National Signing Day in February 2013, however, he de-committed from Texas and officially signed with Alabama. [2]

College career

Freshman year (2013)

Robinson started practicing with Alabama in August 2013 and played in the first game of Alabama's 2013 season on August 31, 2013. [10] Robinson and tight end O. J. Howard were Alabama's only true freshmen to have both started a game and played in every game of the 2013 season. [10] Robinson was also the only true freshman under head coach Nick Saban at Alabama to lead the team in sacks. [3]

Robinson led Alabama in sacks and was seventh on the team in tackles. [10] He was named by Alabama's coaches as one of the defensive "players of the week" in three of Alabama's 12 games. [11] No other true freshman was a "player of the week" on offense or defense during the 2013 season. [11] At Alabama's annual awards banquet after the 2013 regular season Robinson was one of four players to receive an "Iron Man Award" given to players who have shown the most dedication to the individual and team goals of the Crimson Tide's year-round strength and conditioning program. [12]

At the end of his first college football season Robinson was the only Alabama freshman named to the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Coaches' All-Freshman team. [13] Robinson was also on the 2013 Sporting News Freshman All-American team. [14]

Alabama's pass rushers in 2013SacksQuarterback hurries (QBH)TacklesTFL (ex. sacks)TFL yards
A'Shawn Robinson5.55382.540
Denzel Devall 53302.022
Adrian Hubbard 34332.527
Trey DePriest 20655.523
C. J. Mosley 0101089.020

Sophomore year (2014)

Robinson was selected to the 2014 first-team in the pre-season Media Days All-SEC Team. [15] He was held out of some practices in August due to a sprained knee. [16] He led his team in tackles in the 2014 SEC Championship game versus Missouri. It was the first time in his career that he led the team in tackles. He started every game in the 2014 season, during which Alabama led the nation in rushing defense. [17] His teammates gave him the nickname of "Infamous A-Tron," a blend of A'Shawn and Megatron. [17] Robinson earned Honorable Mention on the All-SEC team after the 2014 season.

Junior year (2015)

Robinson started every game for the second season in a row and anchored a deep defensive line that helped Alabama lead college football in rushing yards allowed per game, yards per carry allowed per game, and sacks. [18] Robinson led Alabama in quarterback hurries and was a finalist for the Outland Trophy, an award for the nation's best interior lineman (both offensive and defensive). [19] Robinson did not win the Outland Trophy, and the Alabama football team used this snub as motivation in their College Football Playoff game against Michigan State. [20] After the season, Robinson decided to forgo his senior year and enter the 2016 NFL draft. [21]

YearSchoolGP–GSTacklesSacksPass DefenseFumblesBlocked
SoloAstTotalLoss–YardsNo–YardsInt–YardsBUPDQBHRcv–YardsFFKick
2013 Alabama 13–2 1622388.0–405.5–340–01150–001
2014 Alabama 14–14 1633496.5–110.0–00–03240–011
2015 Alabama 15–15 1828467.5–253.5–190–022101–901

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 3+58 in
(1.92 m)
307 lb
(139 kg)
34+12 in
(0.88 m)
10+12 in
(0.27 m)
5.20 s1.78 s3.01 s4.74 s7.80 s26.0 in
(0.66 m)
8 ft 10 in
(2.69 m)
22 reps
All values from NFL Combine [22] [23]

Detroit Lions

Robinson in a game against the Washington Redskins AShawn Robinson (cropped).jpg
Robinson in a game against the Washington Redskins

Robinson was selected in the second round with the 46th overall pick by the Detroit Lions in the 2016 NFL Draft. [24] On May 10, 2016, Robinson signed with the Detroit Lions. [25] He recorded his first career sack against Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz in Week 5. [26] In Week 16 of the 2016 season, against the Dallas Cowboys, Robinson drew an unnecessary roughness penalty for tackling running back Ezekiel Elliott too hard. The motion Robinson used on the tackle made it look like he was picking up Elliot and slamming him down, but the announcers agreed that the hit looked clean. [27] [28] [29] He finished his rookie season leading all defensive tackles in the NFL in pass deflections with seven.

During Week 6 of the 2017 NFL season, Robinson recorded his first career interception off Drew Brees and returned it two yards for a touchdown. [30] However, the Lions still lost to the New Orleans Saints by a score of 52–38. In Week 9, he blocked a Mason Crosby field goal to help the Lions beat the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field by a score of 30–17. [31]

In the 2018 season, Robinson played in 13 games with seven starts, recording 49 tackles, one sack, and one forced fumble. [32] He was placed on injured reserve on December 28, 2018. [33]

In the 2019 season, Robinson played in 13 games with nine starts, recording 40 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and one forced fumble. [34]

Los Angeles Rams

On April 24, 2020, the Los Angeles Rams signed Robinson to a two-year contract. [35] He was placed on the active/non-football injury list at the start of training camp on August 8, 2020. [36] He was placed on reserve/non-football injury to start the season. [37] He was activated on October 30, 2020. [38] He appeared in eight games in the 2020 season. [39]

In the 2021 season, Robinson recorded two sacks, 67 total tackles, and two forced fumbles in 17 games. [40] Robinson helped the Rams win Super Bowl LVI by defeating the Cincinnati Bengals 23–20. In the Super Bowl, Robinson recorded six tackles and one sack and was instrumental in shutting down the Bengals running game. [41]

On November 26, 2022, Robinson was placed on injured reserve with a torn meniscus. [42] He finished the 2022 season with 42 total tackles in ten games. [43]

New York Giants

On April 24, 2023, Robinson signed a one-year, $8 million deal with the New York Giants. [44] In the 2023 season, Robinson finished with 62 total tackles and two passes defended in 17 games. [45]

Carolina Panthers

On March 13, 2024, Robinson signed a three-year, $22.5 million contract with the Carolina Panthers. [46]

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Legend
Won the Super Bowl
BoldCareer high
YearTeamGamesTacklesFumblesInterceptions
GPGSCmbSoloAstSckFFFRYdsTDIntYdsAvgLngTDPD
2016 DET 165302282.00000000.0007
2017 DET 16165332210.51000122.0216
2018 DET 1374934151.01100000.0000
2019 DET 139403281.51230000.0003
2020 LAR 8012660.00000000.0001
2021 LAR 17146733342.02000000.0000
2022 LAR 10104222200.00000000.0000
2023 NYG 17136234280.00000000.0002
Career 110743552151407.05333122.02119

Postseason

YearTeamGamesTacklesFumblesInterceptions
GPGSCmbSoloAstSckFFFRYdsTDIntYdsAvgLngTDPD
2016 DET 117250.00000000.0000
2020 LAR 206420.01000000.0000
2021 LAR 442212101.00000000.0000
Career 753518171.01000000.0000

Personal life

Due to his physical appearance, Robinson is often questioned of his actual age. Having started playing football at the age of 4, [47] his mother stated that she would bring his birth certificate to games, due to opposing coaches challenging his age for eligibility. [48] "I couldn't play because I was too big and they had to see my birth certificate," said Robinson. [49] This would continue into his adult years; he shared that he was often mistaken for a 35-year-old coach when he was actually a 20-year-old student athlete. [50]

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References

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