Pittsburgh Steelers meet with Missouri standout Darius Robinson before Pro Day

The Pittsburgh Steelers are locking in on the 2024 NFL Draft as they come down from some major free agency signings this month. Among their Top 30 visits was a visit with Missouri defensive lineman Darius Robinson, according to NFL insider Ian Rapoport. The 6-foot-5, 286-pound defender has a spate of at least 20 visits with teams scheduled before the draft next month, and the Steelers are in the mix with the No. 20 overall pick in the first round next month.

Robinson shined in his senior season for the Tigers. He posted a career-high 8.5 sacks with his first career forced fumble during the 2023 season. He earned a First-Team All-SEC selection after the season. Joining the Tigers in 2019, he contributed for four of five seasons, culminating in his standout performance this year.

As a junior, Robinson had 35 tackles with 3.5 sacks. Over his five seasons at Missouri, he had 115 tackles.

On Friday, Robinson will get another shot to further impress NFL scouts. Missouri is hosting Pro Day where plenty of the NFL’s 32 teams will have representatives in attendance. At the NFL Scouting Combine, Robinson clocked an impressive 4.95-second 40-yard dash.

Robinson earns first-round projection

In NFL draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah’s latest mock draft, he projects Robinson to come off the board with the No. 26 overall pick. That would land the Missouri star with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

At the Senior Bowl, Robinson caught the eyes of all the scouts with his performances. NFL Network’s Lead Draft Writer Eric Edholm tabbed him as potentially the best defender after the American Team’s second day of practice.

“The 6-foot-5, 286-pound Robinson won in just about every way imaginable in the two-hour practice,” Edholm wrote. “He dominated one-on-one drills, dispatched run blocks in the full-team sessions and also flashed a few speed-to-power pass-rush moves. Robinson even went around Oklahoma OT Tyler Guyton — one of the Day 1 stars who hasn’t lost many battles so far — with no problem.”

Robinson was a three-star prospect out of Canton High School in Canton, Michigan, where he was the No. 644 player in the nation and the No. 57 EDGE for the 2019 recruiting cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

More on the 2024 NFL Draft

The 2024 NFL Draft will be held in Detroit, Michigan, with the first round on Thursday, April 25, the second and third rounds on Friday, April 26, and the fourth through seventh rounds on Saturday, April 27.

The three-day event will be broadcast throughout the weekend on ESPN and NFL Network.

On3’s Kaiden Smith contributed to this report.