Five Lions players who might be finished in Detroit
#2. A’Shawn Robinson, DT
The first of Bob Quinn’s second-round risk picks during his stint as Detroit’s general manager, the Lions really hoped they had caught a falling star when they drafted Alabama’s A’Shawn Robinson 46th overall in the 2016 NFL Draft.
Out of the gate, Robinson disappointed starting in only five games as a rookie recording 30 total tackles, 2.0 sacks, and seven pass deflections. He would go on to become a 16-game starter the following season, but his performance didn’t improve much and he looked like a bust.
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Under first-year head coach Matt Patricia, Robinson turned a corner in 2018. He recorded 49 tackles and a sack helping the Lions’ defense finish the season ranked in the top ten. Unfortunately, the 24-year old defensive tackle regressed last season posting a career-low 56.0 overall PFF score after posting an 89.7 the year before.
The Lions have already decided to move on from Damon Harrison as previously noted. With Robinson, Mike Daniels, and Darius Kilgo all unrestricted free agents, the defensive tackle position rivals cornerback as the team’s biggest positional need in 2020. But will that be enough for the Lions to re-sign Robinson for another go? The better question might be does one good season negate three seasons of meh?