NFL Draft
3/17/25
6 min read
Ty Robinson 2025 NFL Draft: Scouting Report For Nebraska Cornhuskers DT
Height: 6047 (verified)
Weight: 296lbs (verified)
Year: Sixth Year Senior
Pro Comparison: Igor Olshansky
Scouting Overview
Nebraska Cornhuskers defensive tackle Ty Robinson projects as a developmental starter at the NFL level. Robinson’s toughness, football IQ, functional athleticism, and nonstop motor paint the picture of a player who will be hard to bet against finding at least a reliable role in a defensive rotation.
He’s super competitive and has found ways to win as a pass rusher despite his modest length and reach to dictate reps. His lack of reach impacts his ability to finish tackle opportunities and will pose challenges against lengthy NFL blockers. But he offers enough success to suggest he could be a developmental add to any style of defensive front.
2025 NFL Combine Results
| Position | Name | School | 40-Yard Dash | 10-Yard Split | Broad Jump | Vertical Jump | 3-Cone Drill | 20-Yard Shuttle | Bench Press |
| DT | Ty Robinson | Nebraska | 4.83 | 1.71 | 119 | 33.5 | 7.58 | 4.5 | 28 |
Positives
- Tough, gritty player whose trench play serves as a tone-setting presence and temperature changer
- Possesses good block recognition ability to play off of blocks and shed into gaps
- Produced major leap in pass rush counters and effectiveness in 2024
Negatives
- Lack of ideal length can negatively impact his consistency in deconstructing blocks against NFL-caliber talent
- Can play tall at times and will have his three-dimensional balance compromised
- Is an older player who will play his rookie season at age 24
Background
Robinson is from Gilbert, AZ, and played high school football for Higley HS. There, he was one of the country’s most prized recruits. He was named a HS All-American amid a late conversion to defensive tackle after starting his prep career as a defensive end. He was tabbed a consensus 4-star recruit who garnered interest from programs like USC, Alabama, and Oregon before ultimately committing to Nebraska as a member of its 2019 recruiting class.
Robinson played in three games as a true freshman in 2019 before redshirting to retain his four years of eligibility. He then maintained four seasons of eligible play again in 2020 despite starting seven of eight games for Nebraska, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a third-year freshman in 2021, Robinson started four of 12 games played and then assumed a full-time starting role in 2022. Robinson was named Nebraska’s Co-Defensive Lineman of the Year that season.
He saved his best for last as a sixth-year senior in 2024, setting career highs in tackles, sacks, and tackles for loss while being named Second Team All-Big Ten for his play. He finished his career with 60 games played — a Cornhuskers record.
Robinson accepted an invitation to the 2025 Reese’s Senior Bowl to culminate his college career.
Tale Of The Tape
Robinson is a sturdy defensive lineman who offers a variety of role opportunities. He exited Indianapolis as one of the combine darlings of this draft cycle after posting big-time numbers across the board. His play doesn’t always give you “athletic freak” vibes, but it does bring you relentless energy, effort, and toughness.
In the run game, Robinson boasts enough lateral mobility to string out the point of attack or fall back off of a block to react to the cut of the back. His overall block-recognition skills are strong and allow him to play across leverage. His recognition ability is complemented by a heavy punch, which at times allows him to create knockback at the point and reduce the exit angles off of blocks.
Robinson isn’t a nose tackle but does play rush downs from over the top of the center. His ability to hold against double teams will come down to the consistency of his pad level and playing weight. Nebraska had him at over 310 pounds, but he checked in at the combine at 288 pounds after playing at the Senior Bowl at 296 pounds. What’s his base weight as a former defensive end in high school who has bulked up to play inside?
The odds are strong that teams will covet the twitchiness he illustrated at the lighter weight, which would relegate him to playing in the B-gap more often as a 3-tech or a 4i rather than playing in a 1-tech or living overtop of the center and being exposed to more combo blocks at the heart of the interior.
His length profile does put a cap on his consistency and ceiling. Because he’s a shorter armed defender (32.5-inch arms), his punch power is more tight quarters with how effective it is and offensive linemen with larger gravitational pulls can outreach him or win first contact on the edges and force him to have to work to deconstruct the blocks and run over the top.
As a pass rusher, Robinson has developed a number of impressive rush counters. He’s got a two-handed swipe that has helped him drop hands and run through the strike zone of blockers. Robinson has enough first-step burst and mobility to stem and attack across the face. He hit a nasty club/swim against Connor Colby of Iowa to win without hardly breaking stride.
Robinson has power elements in his game as well. He can take opportunities to go with power and collapse the pocket against centers if left in isolation as a rush player on the nose. But he must keep his strike zone reduced to play under contact. Too many of his rush opportunities are stalemated quickly by blockers who can out-reach him and land a blow on the numbers.
This is a relentless football player whose blend of height and lack of length create some physical limitations that Robinson is still learning how to maximize playing with. Role will play a big part in how disruptive Robinson becomes at the NFL level, but it is hard to imagine teams not seeing his testing profile and being tempted to keep him lean and playing in the B-gap as a penetrator.
Ideal Scheme Fit, Role
Robinson projects as a 4i or 3-tech at the NFL level. He features enough first-step quickness and penetration ability to play a disruptive role while also offering enough anchor ability and block disengagement skills to play in a gap-control environment.
He should be given grace as he learns to play against NFL blockers at a substandard length early in his rookie contract.
Grade: 73.50/100.00, Fourth Round Value
Big Board Rank: 104
Position Rank: DL13
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