Dominique Robinson Quote Shows He May Be A Pass Rush Prodigy

If Chicago Bears fans were polled before opening day on who the game MVP would be, nobody would’ve predicted Dominique Robinson. Nor should they. Everything pointed to the young defensive end being a project. He was a 5th round pick out of Miami (OH). The guy had been a wide receiver in 2019. His inexperience was impossible to ignore. People kept pumping the breaks even after his impressive flashes in the preseason. His shine would wear off when actual games were played.

Then Robinson collected 1.5 sacks in his debut. Suddenly people had to stop and take notice. This kid could play. It wasn’t down to simple luck. He earned both sacks by beating blocks. Yet the craziest part is how he did it. Raw talent alone didn’t do it. The rookie explained to Adam Jahns of The Athletic that they were a product of intense film study. While evaluating the 49ers’ offensive line, he noticed two critical things.

After the game, Robinson explained in detail what he saw on film from 49ers tackles Mike McGlinchey and Trent Williams — arguably the best left tackle in the league. Robinson told reporters that Williams kicked his left foot twice on pass plays. He also saw that McGlinchey would overset on pass plays.

“I took it, hit him with a swipe and then got to the QB,” Robinson said.

This first clip shows what Dominique Robinson saw.

Trey Lance is in an empty backfield with five blockers. That means Robinson has McGlinchey 1-on-1. Sure enough, the tackle starts his kick slide and oversets. This opens up an inside lane, allowing Robinson to cross his face with a swipe. By the time McGlinchey realizes the mistake, it’s too late. Robinson corrals Lance to the ground, and the 49ers are forced to punt.

The Williams play is more subtle. Watch his left foot carefully. It does indeed look like it kicks twice on the play. That gives Dominique Robinson enough split-second information to bring his full rush. While Williams gets a decent block on him (as expected of an All-Pro), the rookie managed to shed himself free enough to get Lance when he tried stepping into the pocket. It wasn’t a clean win, but the end result was what Robinson wanted.

Winning those reps against two proven veterans like that is impressive enough. Doing so with only two years of defensive end experience is mind-boggling. It often takes excellent pass rushers years before they notice little tendencies in blockers they face. Robinson did it like it was nothing. If he is this in tune already, it’s terrifying to think how much better he’ll get.