Steelers ILB Mark Robinson poised for breakout 2023 season

I believe there is only one playing style when you play linebacker, fast, physical and with an attitude.

Pittsburgh – When Steelers linebacker Mark Robinson arrived at Ole Miss, as was a walk-on, he also wasn’t a linebacker. It took some convincing before this former college running back made the transition to the position we now know him best - Linebacker.

‘My initial response was I’m a running back through and through,” Robinson said.

The 5-foot-11 and 235-pound Robinson kept being approached by Lane Kiffin and his staff at Ole Miss about the potential move from the offensive to the defensive side of the football. It wasn’t exactly the easiest decision to make for a young man playing in the Big South Conference during his freshman year in 2017.

A career that began at Presbyterian College, Robinson played one year with the Blue Hose before upping his game to Southeast Missouri College for the next two years (2018-19). He rushed for 910 yards and 11 touchdowns over his two seasons with the Redhawks. Robinson sat out due to the NCAA transfer rules before his arrival in Oxford, Mississippi.

Robinson was entering the sanctum of SEC football and playing at what most consider the highest level of competition at the collegiate level. Moving to a position he never played. He played strong safety in high school, but his only offers leaving Lee County High School were to play running back.

Kiffin kept in his ear, nudging Robinson to take into consideration the possibility of switching positions.

“I didn’t see myself playing another position right now,” Robinson said. “Coach (Kevin) Smith, the running backs coach, we had a unique relationship. He was that buzz in my ear that convinced me to make the swap. I made the switch, man.”

Robinson’s decision led him to the seventh round of the 2022 NFL Draft and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Being fortunate enough to talk with him during the draft process and study him as the draft approached. It was easy to recognize that he plays with a tenacity few possess. Obviously, this was one of the sleepers that came to fruition among the many proclaimed to be gems of the gridiron.

“I believe there is only one playing style when you play linebacker,” Steelers linebacker coach Aaron Curry said. “That’s fast. That’s physical, and that’s with an attitude.”

One of the easier things to identify on the field is the way Robinson attacks the ball with a vengeance. His high-motor mentality and work ethic are the reasons he survived roster cuts last August. Curry laughed emphatically when replying to the question if Robinson plays with the trio characteristics.

“For sure,” Curry said.

When the topic of breakout players emerges this time of year, it would be irresponsible to exclude Robinson from the conversation. He had a modest rookie season, which played in four games, started the last two and made a total of nine tackles, leaving a lot of optimism heading into 2023.

“I see a young player that is going to be really good,” Curry said. “I see a young player that has taken the time to develop himself professionally. He has taken the time to detail his work and his scheme. He comes with a natural skill set of speed and physicality, and toughness. So, he is a perfect fit as well.”

The work is paying off on the field. Over the course of OTA and minicamp, Robinson displays his quickness and appears to be a step faster in his reaction as the practice reps increase with his maturity as a player. Robinson’s ability to recognize his position on the roster is dependent on him going the extra mile to secure a place on the team and gain more significant playing time as an inside linebacker.

“Just preparation,” Robinson said as the reason he is heading in the right direction. “Ever since the first day I walked in this building, I realized that the gap in the guys who stay and the gap in the guys who don’t per se. It’s all about preparation. For me, this is a dream come true. I ain’t trying to waste it.”

Currently, I’m reading “Relentless: A Memoir by Julian Edelman, and there are a few similarities between the two players. Edelman was also a seventh-round selection. A fringe roster spot-type player, Edelman took his preparation to another level to separate himself from a roster bubble player to a fixture on the New England Patriots roster.

Robinson is mimicking the path Edelman took. The physical traits are evident, but the time it takes and the extra work that goes on behind closed doors is where Robinson is gaining ground on working himself into a linebacker that Pittsburgh can depend on.

Like the title of Edelman’s book ‘Relentless,’ Robinson is falling under the same umbrella of embracing as well as understanding that for him to achieve the goals he is striving for, nothing less than 110% is going to get him to where he wants to be.

However, Robinson played it close to the vest when revealing what extra specific extra steps he is taking to obtain his personal goals.

“Secrets,” Robinson laughed. “Secrets.”