Breaking down DT Ty Robinson’s skill set and potential usage in Eagles defense

Entering the 2025 NFL draft, the Eagles had a couple of holes to fill on defense after departures in free agency. The reigning Super Bowl champions were in need of another capable body to play along the defensive line with Milton Williams’ departure, along with a safety to replace C.J. Gardner-Johnson, who was traded earlier in the offseason.

By the end of Round 2, the Eagles drafted Andrew Mukuba, the Texas safety, but entered Day 3 of the draft without adding an interior defensive lineman. In Round 4, they drafted Nebraska defensive tackle Ty Robinson, the 6-foot-5, 288-pound player who finished the 2024 season with 37 tackles (13 for loss), seven sacks, and one forced fumble in his sixth and final collegiate season.

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Considering his athletic testing and production, it‘s not hard to figure out why the Eagles selected him. He’s got impressive explosiveness for his size and is a sturdy player. But how might he be deployed in Vic Fangio‘s defense?

We broke down Robinson’s film to get a sense of his skill set and potential fit along a talented Eagles defensive line.

In a league that has increasingly adopted the outside-zone scheme, Robinson’s run-stopping ability against those types of running plays immediately stands out on his tape. Robinson showcased that he was an elite athlete at the NFL scouting combine, when he ran a 4.83-second 40-yard dash, leaped a 33.5-inch vertical and a 9-foot, 11-inch broad jump, along with a 4.5-second 40-yard shuttle.

His lateral agility particularly shows up when offensive linemen are trying to reach block him, otherwise known as preventing him from crossing their face. Robinson uses his active hands to prevent linemen from cutting off his play-side shoulder, allowing him to work flat down the line of scrimmage and disrupt plays before running backs ever get working downhill.

Once the running back begins to flash across his face, Robinson utilizes his arm length (32¼ inches) to create separation from linemen, and has the strength and athleticism to bring ballcarriers down in the open field. Coupled with his never-ending motor, Robinson’s athleticism is on display when teams decide to run at him and his teammates on the edge of formations.

One area that Robinson does need to clean up as a run defender is his propensity to get washed out of plays when double teamed. He tries to work upfield in those situations instead of standing his ground, causing him to get moved off his spot, and at times, driven into the ground.

His work against outside runs, though, gives encouragement that he can continue to round out his game and become a more consistent run defender overall.

Nebraska utilized Robinson’s skill set in a number of ways, lining him up everywhere, from nose tackle to a 5-technique, otherwise known as a traditional defensive end. According to Pro Football Focus, Robinson had 596 snaps along the defensive line, broken down in these categories: in the A gap, 61 snaps; in the B gap, 303 snaps; and over the tackle or outside the tackle, 232 snaps.

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Overall, PFF had Robinson at a pass-rush win rate of 10.4%, and that number rose to 13.4% on true pass sets (excludes play action, screens, and throws under two seconds). The hallmark of Robinson’s pass-rush success specifically comes when he’s aligned as a one- or three-technique.

His go-to move as a pass rusher is the club, swim move or the club, rip. Robinson has a quick first step off the football and accelerates through either move as he’s crossing the face of an offensive linemen, allowing him a direct path to take down the quarterback. Those quick wins as a pass rusher allowed him to record 25 quarterback hurries, per PFF, and he hit the quarterback 11 times.

When those moves are shut down, though, Robinson struggles to unlatch from offensive linemen. The defensive lineman needs to continue to evolve his pass-rush plan, especially in a league where the ball is regularly thrown in three seconds or less. He also was inconsistent in generating pressure when aligned over tackles, because he doesn’t have the speed to consistently threaten a tackle’s outside shoulder.

Because of that, he is best suited to rush more frequently from the interior.

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Above all, what allowed Robinson to make plays as frequently as he did for Nebraska’s defense is his never-ending motor and effort to get to the football. He’s a throwback player in every sense: He wants to work through offensive linemen, not around them, and he brings his powerful hands and initial snap quickness with him on every down.

That isn’t always enough to get in the backfield, but there were a handful of plays on his film that showcased his ability to chase plays from behind, more than 20 yards downfield. That‘s something that can’t be taught, and an easy way to find yourself earning snaps on Sundays.

Robinson has the tools and ability to be a multi-down player at some point in his career for the Eagles. Where he can best help immediately is against those outside-zone teams like the Rams, 49ers, and Falcons where getting upfield penetration on the front side of those plays is a big help in slowing down the scheme.

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As a pass rusher, Robinson makes sense in a situational role where he can win one-on-one against interior linemen. With Jalen Carter commanding most of the attention as a pass rusher, specifically on third downs, there’s an opportunity for Robinson to get snaps, alongside third-year player Moro Ojomo. But for now, as Robinson continues to round out his game, earning snaps as a rotational player will likely be his climb to playing time for the Eagles defense.