Tavius Robinson's bet on himself to come play in the SEC ready to be paid off with NFL career
University of Guelph, where Tavius Robinson played football in Canada, there is a wall with all the Canadian Football League helmets that lists all the former players that get drafted to those teams. There is also an NFL part to the wall that has zero names currently listed.
Robinson is four weeks away from becoming to the first name under the NFL helmet.
The former Ole Miss defensive lineman participated in Pro Day on Wednesday, capping his physical prepwork for the NFL Draft, showcasing his skill set for NFL scouts in attendance. He also took part in the NFL Scouting Combine earlier this month.
Robinson was happy with the numbers he put up in Indianapolis and added to them on Wednesday. He participated in the 20-yard shuttle (4.56 seconds) and the three-cone drill (7.33).
But for Robinson getting to the NFL is something he has been wanting since laying in his living room in Canada watching the NFL Draft.
Ever time Robinson would walk by that wall he would touch the NFL helmet as well as the helmet of the CFL team his uncle played for, who also played at Guelph.
“I remember at my school every time I walk past it I touch (my uncle’s name) and the NFL helmet and then go to my workouts,” Robinson said. “It was always in my head and then when I got (to Ole Miss) I thought it’d become a reality.”
Ole Miss was the first Southeastern Conference offer he received, helping make his decision to come to America easy.
In Robinson’s three seasons at Ole Miss he compiled 90 total tackles, 11.5 sacks, five forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. His final season was his best as a Rebel with 44 tackles and seven sacks.
“I remember watching past drafts in Canada in my living room floor and being like, ‘I want to be there one day,'” Robinson said. “Getting the opportunity to come here to Ole Miss and playing my years here and now getting the opportunity to get in the draft, it’s crazy. But it’s what I worked for.”
Robinson is not a name that is high on many draft boards or mock drafts, if any.
Being off the radar, at least up to this point of this year’s NFL Draft cycle is not something that is bothering the former Ole Miss defensive end.
Despite not getting much attention from the national pundits and talking heads Robinson is getting a lot of meeting time with NFL teams. EPSN’s Jordan Reid released a full seven-round mock draft on Wednesday, listing Robinson as a fifth round pick (165th overall) by the New Orleans Saints.
A couple coaches have flown in to visit with Robinson, including Cincinnati Bengals defensive line coach Marion Hobby. This was all before Pro Day. What comes after for Robinson in terms of more official meetings or visits with other teams is unknown.
“To begin with we play in the conference in the SEC, so I’ll have that film right there,” Robinson said of maybe being a sleeper pick. “I have the size and the willing to want to get better and just become an elite player.”
Watch Robinson’s full post Pro Day interview below. Video provided by Ole Miss Sports Productions.
