Seahawks quick reaction NFL Draft grades: Alton Robinson, Syracuse

It was just a matter of time until Seattle double-dipped on the defensive line. The Seahawks take another uber-athletic defensive end in Alton Robinson.

If there are 3 combine tests that the Seahawks pay closer attention to than any other, it is the vertical, short shuttle and 40-yard dash. Alton Robinson was absolutely phenomenal in all 3. He jumped a 34 inch vertical, the second-best short shuttle for defensive lineman this year at 4.32 seconds and the 3rd fastest 40-yard dash amongst defensive lineman at 4.69 seconds. All 3 of these tests range between the 61st to the 90th percentiles in any given draft year.

This draft was devoid of many twitchy, athletic defensive ends to fill the LEO position. The Seahawks clearly targeted that as a position of need when they selected Darrell Taylor out of Tennessee in the 2nd round of the draft. However, it appears even more competition will be coming. Alton Robinson is a perfect fit for Seattle’s LEO as well.

Robinson wins with his explosiveness. He has phenomenal bend when turning the corner. He possesses the speed to blow by tackles on the outside and has a solid amount of pop in his attack. He does well when defending the run, especially against cutbacks. Over the last two seasons, Robinson has amassed 85 tackles, 26 tackles for a loss, 14 sacks and 4 forced fumbles.

While he has some great traits, his main draw would be consistency or lack thereof. He struggled to keep his hand placement and footwork throughout games. He also lacks a deep chest of pass-rushing moves. This is even more apparent on second attempt/counters. He too often will use the same move multiple times in a row and be stymied. Coaching, effort and study time will go a long way in these regards.

Similar to Darrell Taylor he has a very exciting ceiling. While his floor may be below Taylor’s. At this point in the draft, the promise and potential that Robinson possesses is simply too much to pass on. My main worry is Seattle appears to be drafting simply for the future, as opposed to players that will help today.

While Robinson has potential, it won’t help much this year outside of being a rotational cog. It appears Seattle has something in the works for a stop gate player (Everson Griffen), trade (Matthew Judon or Yannick Ngakoue) or re-signing of Jadeveon Clowney. With the draft thus far it appears Seattle is truly drafting for the future using theoretically the best player available as opposed to drafting based on need and readiness to play today.

Grade: B-