Pass rushers like Myles Garrett, Robert Nkemdiche and Carl Lawson draw a lot of attention in the Southeastern Conference, but Alabama’s A’Shawn Robinson is the real deal.
ESPN’s NFL Draft expert Mel Kiper had Robinson as a top 10 pick on his draft board in the offseason. The junior might have punched in that ticket after a stellar performance last week.
Robinson, 6-foot-4, 312 pounds, was dominant against the run.
He and Alabama’s defensive front made LSU’s running back Leonard Fournette a non-factor. Fournette entered Saturday’s game averaging 193.14 yards per game with 15 scores.
The sophomore was held to 31 rushing yards on 19 carries, while LSU totaled just 54 rushing yards as a team. Robinson chimed in with three solo tackles, two tackles for loss, a pass breakup and a blocked extra point. He provided some hops on the blocked kick, in jumping over LSU’s offensive line to attack the football.
He looks much faster coming off the ball to create negative plays. Alabama is allowing 78.5 rushing yards per game on an average of 2.5 yards per carry.
Robinson and the Crimson Tide now look to limit Dak Prescott and Mississippi State next week.
Stephen M. Smith is a senior analyst and columnist for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @ESPN_Future.
