Seahawks 90-Man Roster Rundown: Alton Robinson
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With the calendar flipping to July and offseason programs wrapped up across the country, NFL training camps will begin around the NFL in less than a month's time. To celebrate the new incoming season, the All Seahawks staff will be breaking down the Seahawks 90-man roster over the next several weeks, exploring best and worst case scenarios and what to expect from each player entering the 2022 campaign.
Alton Robinson, Defensive End/Outside Linebacker
Height/Weight: 6-foot-3, 259 pounds
2021 Stats: 22 tackles, one sack
As a rookie out of Syracuse, Robinson provided an unexpected spark for Seattle's pass rush in limited action. Despite only seeing the field for 336 defensive snaps as a seldom used reserve, he registered 22 tackles, 4.0 sacks, a forced fumble, and five tackles for loss, leading to outcry from fans for him to play more. Considering the momentum he built in 2020, expectations for the former fifth-round selection were heightened heading into his sophomore campaign. Unfortunately, like the rest of the Seahawks edge rushers, he struggled to get to the quarterback and finished with only a single sack and four quarterback hits on nearly 400 defensive snaps. By the end of the year, his spot in the line rotation seemed to be on tenuous ground, as he played less than 20 defensive snaps in four of his final eight games.
Best Case Scenario: Adapting to a new position as an overhang linebacker in a 3-4 defense, a healthy Robinson returns to his rookie form as a pass rusher and earns himself a significant reserve role playing with his hand in the dirt in even fronts and in a two-point stance in odd fronts. Earning more playing time as the year progresses, he sets a new career-best with 5.0 sacks and contributes 14 quarterback hits.
Worst Case Scenario: With a defensive end background, Robinson doesn't look comfortable playing in space, particularly when asked to drop back into coverage. Falling behind rookies Boye Mafe and Tyreke Smith on the depth chart, he once again sees diminished defensive playing time and his future with the team becomes clouded with one year remaining on his rookie deal.
What to Expect in 2022: For most of his rookie season, despite performing well and coming through with big plays every opportunity he received, the Seahawks seemed hesitant to expand Robinson's role. That remained the case in 2021, as a knee injury suffered early in the season seemed to hobble him for a good chunk of the year and his play dipped as a result. Known for his inconsistency at Syracuse, Seattle will be banking on a solid bounce back season from him and when they do run base fronts with four down linemen, he should receive ample chances to rush as a traditional defensive end. The biggest question mark, however, will be how well he acclimates to playing off the ball as a hybrid linebacker, something he has rarely done at the NFL or college level. If he can make that adjustment without a hitch, there's still a chance he can be a reliable contributor rushing off the edge. But if not, defensive snaps may be very hard to come by behind Uchenna Nwosu, Darrell Taylor, and Mafe.
Previous Seahawks 90-Man Roster Profiles
Kevin Kassis | Cade Brewer | Liam Ryan | Deontez Alexander | Elijah Jones | Josh Turner | Scott Nelson | Joshua Onujiogu | Jarrod Hewitt | Darwin Thompson | Matt Gotel | Lakiem Williams | Tanner Muse | Greg Eiland | Aaron Fuller | Shamarious Gilmore | Cade Johnson | Dakoda Shepley | Deontai Williams | Bubba Bolden | Josh Johnson | Vi Jones | Dareke Young | Myles Adams | Jacob Eason | Tyler Mabry | Jon Rhattigan | Penny Hart | Josh Jones | John Reid | Mike Jackson | Tyler Ott | Cody Thompson | Joel Iyiegbuniwe | Tyreke Smith | Bo Melton | Jason Myers | Marquise Goodwin | Tariq Woolen | Kyle Fuller | Bryan Mone | Nick Bellore | Jake Curhan | Ben Burr-Kirven | Phil Haynes | Ugo Amadi | Freddie Swain | DeeJay Dallas | Artie Burns | Marquise Blair | Tre Brown | Will Dissly | Coby Bryant
