The Jets recently signed linebacker Mark Robinson off the New England Patriots’ practice squad. Today we break Robinson down in detail.
The 26-year old Robinson is listed at 5’11” and 235 pounds and was a seventh round pick out of Ole Miss in 2022. Brownlee spent his first three seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he made four starts and was a key contributor on special teams but was released by them at the end of preseason in August.
Background
Robinson began his career at Presbyterian in 2017, as a running back who was not a highly-rated recruit out of high school. He rushed for 332 yards and five touchdowns in his first season, and then transferred to Southeast Missouri State.
After rushing for 364 yards and four scores in 2018, he posted career-highs in 2019 with 582 yards and seven touchdowns. He also caught 14 passes for 62 yards over those two seasons.
In 2020, he transferred to Ole Miss, sitting out the 2020 season under the NCAA transfer rules in place at the time. During that year, the coaching staff convinced a reluctant Robinson to move to linebacker and it proved to be a key moment in his career.
He started nine of the 13 games in 2021 and racked up 92 tackles and three sacks to establish himself as a potential late round pick. Sure enough, the Steelers saw enough in Robinson to select him in the seventh round. Ironically this was with the Jets pick, acquired along with Avery Williamson in a trade.
As a rookie, Robinson made the Steelers roster but was usually a healthy scratch. However, he eventually played in four games and even made two starts, although he only played 44 defensive snaps in total. He ended up with nine tackles.
2023 and 2024 saw him played every game. He made two starts and played 151 defensive snaps in 2023, racking up 30 tackles and one sack. However, in 2024, he barely played on defense and had six tackles in a special teams role.
Robinson failed to make the Steelers’ 2025 roster and was on New England’s practice squad when the Jets signed him in response to the Quincy Williams and Marcelino McCrary-Ball injuries.
Let’s move onto some more in-depth analysis of what Robinson brings to the table as a player, based on extensive research and film study.
Measurables/Athleticism
Robinson is undersized for a full-time linebacker role and has short arms, but he has impressive strength as he racked up 34 bench press reps at his pro day.
The rest of his pro day numbers were around average for the position, including a 4.69 in the 40-yard dash, but he looks to have burst and explosiveness on film.
Robinson is an off-ball linebacker who played as an inside linebacker in the Steelers’ 3-4 scheme.
Interestingly, he was also practicing to play the fullback position at one stage with the Steelers, although it never happened in a real game. As noted earlier, he used to be a running back.
Run defense
Robinson shows good aggression and discipline in the running game and in his limited playing time at the NFL level, he has put some good run stops on film usually when he is kept clean.
While he was productive at filling or shooting gaps, he also looks good moving laterally or covering ground going sideline to sideline.
The main negative from Robinson in the running game is that his lack of size can mean he gets stuck on a block or driven out of a play from time to time.
Coverage skills
Robinson shows some ability to drop into zone coverage and pass off or pick up an assignment, and also has the athleticism to drop back in man coverage. However, he’s not all that comfortable in these situations.
At the NFL level, he has given up 10 completions on 10 targets, but he was slightly better at 23-for-30 in preseason and 11-for-16 in his final year of college. He hasn’t given up any plays of 25 yards or longer at any level.
While you might expect a player who caught 14 passes in college to have some good ball skills, he hasn’t yet registered an interception or even a pass defensed in college, preseason or regular season action.
Robinson is an aggressive and willing tackler who can stop runners in their tracks and obviously likes to hit. He has closing speed and the strength to drag ball carriers down when reaching beyond his frame, in addition to having a knack for forcing fumbles with three in his NFL career so far.
Technique-wise, his short arms affect his ability to wrap up and he has a tendency to overpursue so missed tackles can be an issue. He had 13 in his one season at Ole Miss and has had several at the NFL level.
Robinson hasn’t blitzed much during his career, although he had three sacks in his one year at Ole Miss. When he does blitz, his pressure rates tend to be good, as his burst and timing are excellent.
Special teams
Robinson established himself as a core special teamer with the Steelers and has already been contributing there with the Jets too with a tackle in kick coverage and some nice blocking.
He has had seven penalties at the NFL level, though, and six of these were either for holding or another kind of blocking infraction.
In kick and punt coverage, he is excellent at getting downfield and takes good angles.
Physicality
Robinson makes up for his lack of size with tenacity and aggression. He is clearly unafraid to take on bigger blockers.
As noted before, he likes to hit, and shows a play to the whistle mentality on plays like this one.
He was suspended for the first half of a game in college due to a targeting penalty, but hasn’t had any personal fouls or coverage penalties in the NFL.
Instincts/Intelligence
Robinson was extremely new to the position when the Steelers picked him up, but he seemed to do a good job of picking up their system, particularly against the run. His experience at running back was perhaps a benefit here.
He’s less comfortable in coverage, but does seem to handle simple zone responsibilities reasonably well. His general awareness can be lacking at times, though.
Robinson is an enthusiastic character and a popular teammate, and he brings energy and effort out on the field. His willingness to move positions in college, and to get some reps as a fullback with the Steelers show that he has a team-first attitude.
On-field discipline was a minor concern as he was entering the league, but hasn’t been an issue at this level.
As noted, Robinson played every game over the past two seasons, so he’s hopefully the kind of durable player you would want to have brought in during an injury crisis. He doesn’t seem to have been affected by injuries so far in his career.
Scheme Fit
It will be a bit of an adjustment for Robinson to transition from the Steelers’ 3-4 into the Jets’ more conventional 4-3 system, but it’s likely he played in a more similar system to the Jets at Ole Miss, who played a 4-3 base but used six defensive backs in subpackages.
While he played a few snaps in his second game as a Jet, this is probably irrelevant, because his main reason for being here is to play special teams.
While he was with the Steelers, Robinson was a teammate of current Jets Justin Fields, Chukwuma Okorafor and Mykal Walker.
Conclusions
The Jets brought in Robinson when it was confirmed that Williams and McCrary-Ball were headed to injured reserve, but it was more likely that he was brought in to replace McCrary-Ball and his role on special teams.
Since that time, the Jets have primarily used Kiko Mauigoa alongside Jamien Sherwood. They could also opt to use Cam Jones or Walker before they turn to Robinson in the event of another injury.
Williams made the trip to London and looked good while working with the training staff so he should be back soon. With any luck that will be the end of the injury crisis at the position, but Robinson is still a good addition who helps out the special teams unit, so he should stick around, at least until McCrary-Ball can return and maybe even beyond that.