From a two-star quarterback recruit in high school to an FBS wide receiver, to the Chicago Bears defensive end, fifth-round selection, Dominique Robinson has had quite the journey to the NFL.
Touted as a project, the 174th pick in the 2022 draft has already turned heads. In week one, Robinson played 28 downs, only 41% of the game. He recorded the second most tackles with seven, five of which were solo, and also sacked Trey Lance twice—all while going head-to-head against nine-time Pro bowler Trent Williams and former first-round pick Mike McGlinchey.
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In high school, Robinson wanted to focus on basketball, giving up his football aspirations. That said, through some convincing, he decided to play both sports. By his senior year, the 6-foot-4, 220-pound quarterback received only one offer.
“Miami recruited me to play quarterback, but they also tagged me as an athlete, so if I don’t make the cut as a quarterback, then I can move to any position I want to,” Said Robinson
Robinson attended Miami University of Ohio and almost instantaneously switched to wide receiver. As a sophomore, he played all 12 games, starting in five and finishing the season with 13 catches for 156 yards and four touchdowns. His Junior year wasn’t much better, only recording 14 catches for 296 yards.
In his senior season, Robinson moved to defensive end. He recorded 28 tackles, 6.5 tackles for a loss, 2.5 sacks and was named third-team All-Mid-American Conference. A solid season, but was one year at the position enough to secure a spot on an NFL roster?
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At the combine, Robinson ran a 4.72 40-yard dash (tenth among defensive ends), bench pressed 25 reps (second-best among defensive ends), and jumped 41 feet in the vertical (best among defensive ends, second-best overall).
Not only is Robinson a freak of nature, but he is extremely intelligent. He’s a quick learner, having played defensive end for only one year, and already looks NFL capable. Either the Bears found themselves the steal of the draft or, worst-case scenario, a serviceable fourth-string quarterback.