Author: Zachary Links

Second Round – A’Shawn Robinson, DT (Alabama, No. 46 overall)

Heading into the draft, many believed that Robinson would find his way into the first round. However, he slipped and the Lions were happy to catch him at No. 46 overall. Robinson now has an opportunity to play alongside Haloti Ngata at defensive tackle and hopefully absorb his years of knowledge.

Much like his teammate, Jarran Reed, Robinson was often shuttled in and out of the lineup, thanks to a slew of four- and five-star recruits on the defensive front wall. He started 30-of-42 games for Alabama, recording 133 tackles (49 solos) with nine sacks for minus 53 yards, 22.0 stops for losses totaling 76 yards and eighteen quarterback pressures. He also broke up five passes while causing and recovering a fumble.

Because of his run stuffing skills, Robinson should shine as a defensive tackle in a 4-3 alignment. He is good at keeping his feet on the move and has the balance that makes it tough for blockers to knock him down. He has that short area pursuit speed to give chase down the line and with his change of direction agility and field vision, he is quick to redirect and neutralize the cutback lanes. He plays hard and uses his body effectively to fight through blocks and – when he keeps his pads down – he does a good job of splitting double teams. At that low pad level, he is more effective using his strength to push the blockers back through the rush lanes. He has the short area burst to string plays wide and his lower body base and anchor makes it very difficult for defenders to move him off his anchor.

Robinson is also an effective wrap-up tackler. He might not punish ball carriers on every play, but is consistent at using his long reach to secure and drag down the opponent. He has the strength to prevent blockers from locking him up, but must get a good grip as he does try to escape blocks rather than forcefully defeat them. When his motor is “on,” he has the strength to punish and generates good lower body power behind his hits, making steady improvement keeping his feet to drive the lead blocker back through the rush lane. He is good at breaking down and engulfing ball carriers in space and shows functional power. When making the wrap-up tackle, he is good at squaring up and bringing his hips and legs.

Third Round – Graham Glasgow, C/G (Michigan, No. 95 overall)

Mr. Travis Swanson, turn around and see who might be taking away your starting job. Jim Harbaugh is old school coaching at its finest, as he follows the mantra set by Paul Brown and Chuck Noll – if you want a great offensive line, start in the middle to built that foundation. In Glasgow, the Lions get a player who could one day rival Detroit’s former starting center, Dominic Raiola for longevity in the pivot. 

Glasgow enters the league with three seasons as a starter under his belt. After appearing in five games as a reserve guard during his freshman year, he made nine starts at center and four more at left guard during his sophomore campaign. The All-Big Ten Conference choice started all eleven games he appeared in at left guard in 2014, but with Harbaugh’s arrival in 2015, he moved his best trap blocker inside to center, where he was the Hugh R. Rader Memorial Award recipient as Michigan’s top offensive lineman.

There is no question that Glasgow understands positioning. He does an excellent job when asked to turn and seal his opponent away from the ball carrier, working hard to sustain his blocks through the whistle. One reason for his move to center is that he possesses excellent hand placement, balance, anchor and mirroring technique as a pass blocker. Some scouts feel that the Wolverine does not necessarily stand out in any way one area, but his ability to play every position along the line is very enticing.

Glasgow is a functionally solid technician who relies on his short-area quickness to get in front on traps and pulls, along with using his size and strength to gain success widening the inside rush lanes. He does a fine job in recognizes blitzes and stunts, maintaining balance when retreating to protect the pocket. He fires off the snap with good explosion, making sure to get his hands into the defender’s chest smoothly.

Glasgow also shows enough long distance skills and quickness out of his stance to maintain a wall for the passer. He’s become a very good cut blocker working in-line and fires low off the snap with hands on the rise to get into a defender’s jersey quickly. He’s a rare sized center (6:06), but even though he’s tall, he stays low in his pads on inside traps and pulls well when running towards the outside.

Dave-Te Thomas owns and operates The NFL Draft Report, a service providing insight to league scouting departments for over 40 years. All year round, you can read Thomas’ in-depth reviews of both blue chip prospects and diamonds in the rough by visiting the NFL Draft Report blog.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.