Reports: UCLA’s Dorian Thompson-Robinson Visiting Multiple NFL Teams
He may not be one of the first players to hear his name called in Kansas City, but Dorian Thompson-Robinson's stock appears to be on the rise.
According to a report Thursday from ESPN senior NFL reporter Jeremy Fowler, the former UCLA football quarterback has met with the Cleveland Browns, San Francisco 49ers, Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Chargers, Philadelphia Eagles and Cincinnati Bengals on Tuesday ahead of the 2023 NFL Draft.
Just a day earlier, NFL Rookie Watch tweeted that many scouts believe Thompson-Robinson could come off of the draft board as early as the fourth round.
ESPN currently has the Bruins' signal-caller ranked as the No. 7 quarterback on its big board, safely behind likely first round picks Bryce Young, CJ Stroud, Anthony Richardson and Will Levis, as well as Hendon Hooker and Jake Haener. The Athletic, on the other hand, has Thompson-Robinson ranked as the No. 12 quarterback in its 2023 NFL Draft Guide.
Thompson-Robinson had been UCLA’s starting quarterback for the better part of five seasons, setting school records in the process. The former top recruit out of Bishop Gorman (NV) was Chip Kelly’s rock throughout the coach’s entire tenure in Westwood.
In 2022, Thompson-Robinson passed for 3,169 yards and 27 touchdowns, rushed for 645 yards and 12 touchdowns and led the Bruins to a 9-4 record.
Thompson-Robinson locked in his position on the national stage at the 2023 NFL Combine in March. The 6-foot-2 quarterback clocked a throw at 62 miles per hour – tying the Buffalo Bills' Josh Allen for the fastest-ever throw in combine history – in addition to his impressive 4.56-second 40-yard dash.
At the combine, Thompson-Robinson told reporters that he met with the 49ers and the Arizona Cardinals, meaning San Francisco has now met with him during and after the combine process.
The 49ers have had their fair share of quarterback depth issues over the past year.
After Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo suffered season-ending injuries, former Mr. Irrelevant Brock Purdy entered the fray and led San Francisco to the NFC Championship Game. Purdy went down with an injury of his own in that game, though, as did his replacement, Josh Johnson.
Although they do not have a pick in the first two rounds, the 49ers have three third-round picks, three fifth-round picks, one sixth-round pick and four seventh-round picks, giving coach Kyle Shanahan and company room to select badically whichever mid-to-late-round quarterback they please.
Thompson-Robinson, who is currently projected as a Day 3 selection, will likely hear his name called in the fifth-to-seventh round range, where any of the franchises who have met with him could target the mobile threat.
As a new era gets underway in UCLA's quarterback room, Thompson-Robinson's professional journey will kick off once the 2023 NFL Draft wraps up on April 29.
The last time a Bruin quarterback was drafted was Josh Rosen, who went No. 10 overall to the Arizona Cardinals in 2018. Before Rosen was Brett Hundley, who got picked in the fifth round of the 2015 draft by the Green Bay Packers.
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