Que Robinson didn’t see much of the field in his rookie season with the Denver Broncos - just seven appearances across a 19-game campaign - but when his number was called in the AFC Championship Game, he delivered. And now, the rookie edge rusher is getting noticed in all the right places.
Broncos general manager George Paton had high praise for Robinson during his end-of-season press conference, calling him a player with serious potential.
“He may have the most upside in our draft class,” Paton said. “You could see it the other day.
He’s long, athletic, can run. Really good in the run game.
Just learning how to rush the passer, but he has all the traits. And then you see what he does on special teams.
So really encouraged with him.”
That “other day” Paton referenced? The AFC Championship Game, where Robinson came up with a key sack on Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye - his first full sack in the NFL. It was a flash of what the Broncos hoped for when they selected him in the fourth round of last April’s draft.
Robinson entered the league with a solid college résumé, having notched four sacks at Alabama in 2024 before an elbow injury cut his final season short. That injury likely contributed to his delayed debut - he didn’t see game action until Week 6 - but once he was active, Denver gradually worked him into the rotation.
By season’s end, Robinson had logged 150 defensive snaps and another 101 on special teams. He didn’t suit up for the Broncos’ dramatic 33-30 overtime win over Buffalo in the Divisional Round, but he made his presence felt the following week. Against New England, he played 12 snaps on defense and 17 on special teams, finishing with three tackles and that all-important sack.
His only other sack involvement during the regular season came back in October, when he shared a sack on Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart in a 33-32 win.
Robinson’s development is especially intriguing when you consider the rest of Denver’s 2025 draft class. First-rounder Jahdae Barron, a cornerback out of Texas, played every game and made five starts, picking off one pass while logging 30 percent of the defensive snaps. Second-round pick RJ Harvey, a dynamic back from UCF, proved to be a versatile weapon - 540 rushing yards, seven scores on the ground, 47 catches for 356 yards and five more touchdowns through the air, plus kickoff return duties.
Third-rounders Sai’vion Jones (LSU defensive end) and Pat Bryant (Illinois wide receiver) had more modest roles. Jones saw action in just three games, while Bryant chipped in with 31 catches for 378 yards and a touchdown over 15 games.
Punter Jeremy Crawshaw, taken in the sixth round, had a strong showing with a 47.6-yard average on 75 punts. And seventh-rounder Caleb Lohner, a former basketball player at Utah, spent the year developing on the practice squad.
But among this group, Robinson might just have the highest ceiling. He’ll return in 2026 behind a pair of proven pass rushers: Nik Bonitto, a Defensive Player of the Year finalist after racking up 14 sacks, and Jonathon Cooper, who added eight of his own. That’s a tough depth chart to crack, but it also gives Robinson time to continue refining his game behind two productive veterans.
A Birmingham native and Jackson-Olin High School alum, Robinson’s football journey has already taken him from the Army All-American Bowl to Alabama’s defensive front and now to the NFL playoffs. If his performance in the AFC title game is any indication, he’s just getting started.