When we think of prototypical New England Patriots, not only are we looking at the player, but often the background as well. The perfect encapsulation of a Patriot is someone who may have been overlooked or counted out for some reason or another, whether that is because of size, injury history, and any other factor. They find a way to make an impact for the team, however, and show the rest of the league exactly the type of player they are.
Landon Robinson fits that mold, and I think he could be a perfect fit for the Patriots.
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Hard facts
Name: Landon Robinson
Position: Defensive tackle/Interior defensive line
School: Navy (Sr.)
Opening day age: 23 (1/3/2003)
Measurements: 5’11 1/4”, 293 lbs, 31 3/4” arm length, 9 1/8” hand size, 4.87s 40-yard dash, 7.28s 3-cone drill, 4.48s short shuttle, 32 1/2” vertical jump, 9’2” broad jump, 30 bench press reps, 9.45 Relative Athletic Score
Experience
Colleges: Navy (2022-25)
Career statistics: 38 games (26 starts) | 1,643 defensive snaps, 320 special teams snaps, 2 offensive snaps | 153 tackles, 8 missed tackles (5.0%), 18.5 TFLs, 2 FF, 1 FR | 69 QB pressures (14.5 sacks, 12 hits, 42 hurries) | 5 special teams tackles, 1 blocked field goal | 3 carries, 87 yards (29.0/carry) | 3 penalties (incl. 0 declined/offsetting)
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Accolades: AAC Defensive Player of the Year (2025), First-team All-AAC (2025, 2024), First-team All-American (2025)
A multi-sport athlete and all-state linebacker at Copley High School in Copley, OH, Robinson drew mostly interest from FCS-level schools as a two-star recruit. He ultimately committed to Navy, though, where he started out as a linebacker before moving to the D-line.
As a Midshipman, he started 26 games and was twice named first-team all-conference as well as the American Defensive Player of the Year in 2025. That season, he registered 64 tackles as well as 6.5 sacks and a fumble recovery. He also served as a team captain.
Draft profile
Projected round: 6-7 | Consensus big board: No. 219 | Patriots meeting: East-West Shrine Bowl + Pro Day
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Strengths: Robinson might not match the ideal measurables for a defensive tackle in the NFL, but his tape tells a different story. He is a powerful player who uses his size to his advantage. He is a great penetrator, and was consistently in the backfield the last two seasons. He has the agility to be a force on twists and games, which the Patriots ran a ton of last year. Because of his size, he often gains leverage on his blockers, and is almost impossible to move when he gets the edge on an offensive lineman. He is also a very good locker room and culture fit, who should walk in and be an instant leader. He was a captain at Navy, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he would end up a captain in New England at some point.
Weaknesses: He might use his size to his advantage, but there is a reason why it’s not prototypical. He can get overwhelmed by correct technique from blockers, especially on double teams. His bag of moves in the pass game does also need some work. He does not have a big margin for error annd has to be almost perfect when he is out there.
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What would be his role? He would slot in as a rotational pass rushing defensive tackle. The Patriots have some solid depth at that position, but, as we’ve seen many times in the past, you can never have enough depth on the defensive line. The more guys you have in the rotation, the more explosive each of the guys can be, because they will be fresh.
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Does he have position versatility? Because of his size, there is limited position versatility along the defensive line. With his strength, there is a chance that he can fill in at nose tackle as well, but his struggles with double teams makes that unlikely without a serious improvement in his technique. That said, he did play extensively on special teams and also earned two snaps as a fullback in 2025. He also finished his college career with three carries on fake punts.
What is his growth potential? Working in an attacking system like they employ in New England, as well as working with good coaches and players, should help him grow. He is coming from a solid program, but one that is not known as a football factory, so there could be some untapped potential in his testing numbers as well. His size isn’t going to change, but he can learn to use it even more effectively in the coming years.
Why the Patriots? The Patriots have a need on the interior of the defensive line, and Mike Vrabel wants his linemen to attack. Unlike the Bill Belichick defense, which asked players to two-gap and be strong at the point of attack, Vrabel’s defense is looking to reestablishing the line of scrimmage and making plays in the backfield. This type of attacking scheme is a perfect fit for what Robinson can do. Additionally, there might have been some concerns about the level of competition he faced in college, but he also put on a show at the Shrine Bowl, which should alleviate some of those concerns.
Why not the Patriots? The Patriots have a lot of needs in many different areas, and there are only so many picks to go around. Because they lost Khyiris Tonga this offseason, they could be more focused on replacing that nose tackle position and hoping that a guy like Joshua Farmer steps into a bigger role this season in the attacking three-tech position.
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One sentence verdict: Robinson might not look like a star on paper, but the game isn’t played on paper, the tape shows an explosive player who should fit the Patriots scheme perfectly.
For more information about Landon Robinson and the rest of this year’s class of prospects, please take a look at Adam’s 2026 NFL Draft Guide.
Also, what do you think about Robinson as a potential Patriots target? Do you like him? Where would you pick him? Please head down to the comment section to share your thoughts.
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