From now until the 2026 NFL Draft, we will scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top-10 picks, all the way to Day 3 selections and priority undrafted free agents. Today, a scouting report on Navy DL Landon Robinson.
No. 96 Landon Robinson/DL Navy 5112/293 (Fourth-year Senior)
Measurements
Player Ht/Wt Hand Size Arm Length Wingspan
Landon Robinson 5112/293 N/A N/A N/A
40-Yard Dash 10-Yard Dash Short Shuttle 3-Cone
4.87 1.65 4.48 7.32
Broad Jump Vertical Bench Press
9’2″ 32.5 30
The Good
– Lower body generates incredible raw power
– Strong power transfer at the point of attack
– Able to withstand and stalemate double teams despite a lack of mass
– Natural pad level advantage due to size
– Violent anchor against bigger linemen
– Demonstrated advanced “knee drop” technique that splits combo blocks
– Exceptional first step and burst
– Extreme lateral quickness that makes him effective on loops and twists
– Highly conditioned and shown to play the majority of snaps
– Great backside pursuit speed
– Played multiple positions across the defensive line
– Shows relentless motor when penetrating the backfield
The Bad
– Short arm length that shows up on film
– Struggles to establish a lockout in the run game
– Longer guards can neutralize him if his initial burst is absorbed
– Needs to develop a deeper pass-rush arsenal
– Primarily relies on speed to power conversion
– Will abandon gap assignments due to over-aggressiveness
– Susceptible to being washed out by trap blocks
– Putting on more mass will sacrifice his speed and quickness
Stats
– 2025 stats: 64 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, 34 pressures, 5 missed tackles, 13 games played
– Career stats: 153 tackles, 18.5 tackles for loss, 14.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 69 pressures, 8 missed tackles, 38 games played
– 87 career rushing yards on 3 fake punts
– 9.8 missed tackle percentage (2025)
Injury History
– No known injury history
Background
– Born January 3rd, 2003 (23 years old)
– Two-star recruit after being a 2-time All-State selection and a 2-time team captain
– Originally committed to Lehigh University before flipping to the Naval Academy
– Played running back and linebacker in high school
– Four-sport athlete who participated in wrestling, baseball, and track
– Two-time district qualifier in wrestling (220-pound weight class)
– National Honor Society member
– 3.36 GPA at the Naval Academy, majoring in Cyber Ops
– Recipient of the “Defender of the Nation Award” (Service Academy player who demonstrates exceptional leadership and academic performance) (2025)
– Only defensive lineman to be a regular member on kickoff coverage
– First-team All-American (Navy’s first since 1985) and AAC Defensive Player of the Year (2025)
– Outland Trophy Semifinalist (nation’s best interior lineman) (2025)
– Two-time unanimous first-team All-AAC (2024, 2025)
– Admiral Mack Award winner (most improved player in spring practices) (2024)
– Recognized as the “Deputy Captain of the Captains” (a leadership role that oversees the captains of every varsity sport)
– Three-time listee on Bruce Feldman’s “Freaks List” ranking #13 overall (2025)
– Clocked 20.13 mph on GPS tracking, squatted 665 pounds, benched 465 pounds
– Father, mother, and grandfather served in the Navy, which motivated his decision to attend the service academy
– Wore a memorial patch during the 2025 Army-Navy game for the crew of Aircraft 269, who were lost in a training accident
– Recognized as a “gym addict” who has put on 70 pounds of weight since leaving high school
– Plans to be a Marine Corps Officer after his playing career
Tape Breakdown
From an interior defensive line perspective, Landon Robinson has a case as the most athletically gifted lineman in the class. He’s a three-time member of Bruce Feldman’s “Freaks List,” and it shows. His raw power, paired with blazing quickness, makes him lethal even with a natural size disadvantage. Robinson explodes off the ball with a fierce, lightning-fast first step that generates immediate momentum and allows him to shock blockers with true speed-to-power conversion.
Although Robinson can generate tremendous power and force from his lower half, he often doesn’t need to rely on it because of his elite first-step quickness. At the next level, he’ll need to continue developing and diversifying his pass-rush repertoire. But he already shows an effective swim move that pairs naturally with his speed and ability to win early in the rep.
Robinson has also proven highly effective on coordinated stunts and twists. His outstanding lateral agility and short-area quickness make him particularly dangerous in tackle-end exchanges. Here, he can cross the face of blockers, exploit widened gaps, and finish plays in the backfield.
Navy asked him to take on a lot of zero-tech responsibilities out of necessity due to injuries. At the next level, though, his smaller frame may make a 3-tech role in a 4–3 defense his most effective fit, allowing him to be shielded from consistent double teams. Regardless of alignment, he projects as an impact pass-rusher from day one, thanks to top-tier athleticism relative to his peers.
His size raises some concern about his ability to consistently impact the run game. However, there was no significant drop-off in his effectiveness when he was asked to anchor against the run. Robinson’s 5’11” frame may actually work in his favor, giving him a natural leverage advantage that keeps his pads low and makes him inherently more difficult to block due to his lower center of gravity. Like his pass rush, he wins with a deadly first step that immediately puts offensive linemen on their heels.
Robinson has proved he is more than just raw power and athleticism. His technique has also advanced meaningfully. Against combo blocks, he has flashed the ability to execute a rare “knee-drop” technique that many linemen struggle to pull off. The move involves rapidly dropping one knee to the turf while dipping his shoulder to violently split the block.
The difficulty level of this technique is extremely high. Few can execute it effectively because it demands exceptional lower-body and core strength to avoid being driven backward or buried into the ground. On the highlighted snaps, Robinson doesn’t record the tackle, but his knee-drop creates a pile in the middle. This forces the ball carrier to bounce outside into the arms of a free defender.
Conclusion
Overall, Robinson is one of my favorite players in this draft. He will serve as a litmus test for how much size really matters on the defensive line. There have been smaller interior defenders who have exceeded expectations and dominated, but none with a frame as compact as Robinson’s. The common thread among those success stories is elite athleticism, and Robinson may be even more special in that regard.
His immediate calling card is his exceptional first-step quickness. By the time an offensive lineman can react, Robinson is already crossing his face or shooting the gap. He pairs that burst with a built-in leverage advantage from his shorter frame. Anchored by massive lower-body strength, he can hold the point of attack, drop his hips, and stalemate blockers with heavy, violent hands.
His pass rush is still a work in progress, but not because he’s ineffective. His athleticism and primary moves were so overwhelming in college that he rarely needed to develop true counters. That will have to evolve at the next level, where he won’t be able to win on traits alone.
Because of his rare blend of limited size and near-limitless athleticism, finding a clean comparison is difficult. The best stylistic pathway for Robinson may be Mike Daniels. Both are undersized interior disruptors, though Daniels carries more mass. Like Daniels, Robinson plays with relentless energy, functioning as a bowling ball on the defensive front that constantly compresses the pocket and disrupts blocking schemes.
Wholeheartedly, I believe Robinson would be discussed as a near–Day 1 prospect if he were 6’2″. He brings the athletic profile and production teams covet in early picks, but his NFL outlook is viewed more as a projection because of his size. If he lands in a scheme that can mask his frame limitations and fully unlock his athleticism, he has the tools to become an impact player and one of the true steals of this draft.
NFL Draft Projection: Late Day 3
Steelers Depot Draft Grade: 8.2 (Long-time Starter)
Grade Range: 7.5 – 8.4
Games Watched: vs. VMI (2025), vs. UAB (2025), @ Tulsa (2025), vs Rice (2025), vs. Air Force (2025), @ Notre Dame (2025), vs. USF (2025), vs. Army (2025)
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