After a stellar junior season in which the Wake Forest Demon Deacon defender earned honorable mention all-ACC accolades, Boo Robinson was expecting to put his name on the NFL Draft map his senior season. But before the season even started, Robinson suffered a back injury that kept him out of action for about five months. So Robinson ended up going unselected in this April's draft; but the newest Eagle believes it will end up working out for the best because of his opportunity with the Eagles.
Signed earlier this week to compete at defensive tackle, the 6-foot-1 Robinson is listed at 295 pounds but said he weighs about 297 now and wants to get up to 300 as his playing weight. On the defensive line, he'll be competing for a roster spot with fellow rookie Jeff Owens, second-year man Antonio Dixon and former second-round pick Trevor Laws. Robinson arrived in Philadelphia in time for the rookies and selected veterans Organized Team Activities this week, where he got a feel for the defense and life in the NFL.
"The playbook is extensive," Robinson said after practice, "but it's all good. I don't go to school anymore, football is my job now, so it's not too tough on me. It's easy to sit down and study."
Though Robinson has been hitting the books hard since he got in town, he's still at a bit of a disadvantage because he wasn't with the team for the post-draft mini-camp. That means he'll have to retain as much as he can next week when most of the veterans arrive for more OTA's. But Robinson believes his hard work will be rewarded.
My strength is "that I'm a hard worker. I'm not going to let anybody outwork me," he said.
As for his weaknesses?
"My only weakness is that I'm a rookie," Robinson said. "I think I fit into things real well here. There are a lot of guys the same size, stature and height as me. I feel like it's going to be a nice fit for me."
As for that injured back that cost him playing time and draft status, Robinson said he feels back to normal, which was confirmed when he passed his physical this week. So now the rookie turns his focus to soaking up as much as he can from position coach Rory Segrest and opening the eyes of the Eagles brass.
"God blessed me and I feel like everything worked itself out and I feel like I'm at home, in the right place," he said.
-- Posted by Bo Wulf, 11:04 a.m., May 22
