Promising Cardinals First-Round Pick Could Finally Make NFL Debut in Week 6

Heading into the 2024 NFL Draft, Darius Robinson was one of the more intriguing players of the class.

His versatility and power as a defensive lineman landed him as the 27th overall pick heading to the Arizona Cardinals. However, the first-round pick has yet to make his NFL debut due to a calf injury that he suffered in August.

Now, though, Robinson has been designated to return from IR, putting him in line to potentially make his NFL debut in Week 6 when the Cardinals take on the Green Bay Packers this weekend.

Promising Cardinals First-Round Pick Set to Make NFL Debut

The news was confirmed by Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, who tweeted that Robinson would be designated to return from IR.

Robinson came out of high school in Canton, Michigan, with a three-star rating from 247 Sports. He was the 689th overall rated recruit in the Class of 2019, and after receiving offers from programs like Colorado, Minnesota, and Rutgers, he ultimately made the decision to commit to Missouri.

Robinson would spend the first three seasons of his collegiate career largely playing a rotational role on the defense behind names like Blaze Alldredge, Nick Bolton, and Isaiah McGuire. He took on his first true starting role in 2022, playing the majority of his snaps as a defensive tackle.

2023 saw Robinson kick out to the edge, and he put together a spectacular campaign, leading the program in both tackles for loss (14) and sacks (8.5) while the Tigers allowed just 20.8 points per game, which ranked 26th amongst the 133 programs in the FBS.

Robinson’s versatility is the first thing that jumps off the screen. He spent the majority of the 2021 and 2022 seasons playing defensive tackle before jumping out to the edge in 2023, thriving in both spots. Over the course of his collegiate career, here is what his snap counts looked like by alignment on the defensive line, per PFF:

• 191 snaps in the A Gap
• 676 snaps in the B Gap
• 219 snaps over tackle
• 412 snaps outside

Robinson’s unique combination of size and athleticism has allowed him to thrive at just about any position on the Missouri defensive line. Some elite arm length and explosion could allow him to continue playing on the edge in the NFL, but he has the size and strength to move back to his more natural position of defensive tackle if needed.

In addition to his pass rushing prowess, Robinson has been an elite run defender at Missouri with an ability to overcome opposing offensive linemen at the line of scrimmage.

The Cardinals have been a frisky team to this point in the NFL season, and just this past weekend, they toppled the San Francisco 49ers.

A big reason for their new success in 2024 has been the pairing of another rookie, WR Marvin Harrison Jr., alongside QB Kyler Murray in the offense.

With Robinson now set to buoy Arizona’s defensive line, perhaps the Cardinals can make a run to threaten for the NFC West title this season.