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Rising Philadelphia Eagles rookie turning heads in 2025 OTAs
Image credit: ClutchPoints

Rising Philadelphia Eagles rookie turning heads in 2025 OTAs

Originally posted on NFL on ClutchPoints
By Matty Breisch  |  Last updated Jun 4, 2025 11:39 PM ET

With OTAs officially in the books, the Philadelphia Eagles only have one more practice session this month, a mandatory minicamp on the 10th, before they take some time off to rest and relax before training camp.

Soon, players will put their pads aside for some fun in the sun, and fans will wonder what the Eagles will look like when they take the field again for training camp, the preseason, and one of the most important regular seasons in recent memory, as Nick Sirianni’s squad looks to defend the Lombardi Trophy they won back in February.

Fortunately, before fans and players alike can take some time off to enjoy their own vacations, one Eagles rookie is earning some incredible praise, with All-World defensive tackle Jalen Carter taking some time to celebrate Ty Robinson while talking to reporters.

“You seen him yet? That boy fire, I ain’t even gonna lie, he’s moving good. He’s a big boy,” Carter declared. “I’ve seen his highlights before he came, what everyone was talking about. He’s here and he’s working. I think he’s going to have a big impact this season.”

Drafted at the top of the fourth round with pick 111, Robinson is one of the more interesting prospects to come off the board on Day 3, as he’s a big, athletic defensive lineman who logged as many snaps at 3-4 defensive tackle as 4-3 defensive end.

While Robinson didn’t overly dazzle during his run under Matt Rhule at Nebraska, amassing just 10 sacks, 23 QB hits, and 61 hurries over the past three seasons, Robinson has a chance to step up and play an important role for the Eagles this fall as he fits a need left by free agency.

Ty Robinson can fill a clear need on the Eagles this fall

While the Eagles lost more talent on the edge than from the inside of their defensive line in free agency, with Brandon Graham retiring and Josh Sweat leaving in free agency versus just the exit of Milton Williams, saying goodbye to New England’s $104 million man was tough to swallow all the same, as his production was a big part of the team’s success.

Now granted, the Eagles aren’t bereft of talent on the inside. They still have starters Jordan Davis and Carter on rookie-scale contracts and expect to give 2023 seventh-round pick Moro Ojomo a longer runway after showing he, too, after proving he can be an efficient pass rusher during the preseason. With that in mind, the Eagles still need to fill 501 defensive snaps over the course of the regular season, and just giving Davis and Ojomo more snaps won’t be able to fully replace that one-for-one, especially if someone goes down with an injury.

Enter Robinson, who should be able to fill some role for the team this fall.

If Robinson proves to be a better run stuffer than pass rusher, that’s totally fine, as he could share snaps in base defense and on obvious rushing downs either at defensive tackle or as a BG-style big edge next to Davis. If he’s a better pass rusher than run defender, that’s okay too, as he could once again find a spot in Vic Fangio’s rotation playing as big a role as he’s capable of, be that on money downs or as part of a standard rotation.

Simply put, because the Eagles have a top 3 locked in at the position, all Philadelphia really needs Robinson to do is play whatever role he’s capable of, without having to leave the Cornhusker out to dry because they have no other options. Robinson can come along at his own pace, play as many snaps as he earns, and maybe turn a few heads if he’s really as good as Carter believes he can be.

Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Ty Robinson (95) warms up during OTAs at NovaCare Complex. Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Talent evaluators were mixed on Ty Robinson

Heading into the 2025 NFL Draft evaluation process, NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein wasn’t particularly high on Robinson.

Comparing Robinson to Grover Stewart, a former fourth-round pick by the Indianapolis Colts who has become a force as a big-bodied run-stuffer, Zierlein gave the Nebraska product a fifth-round grade, even if his write-up was somewhat more encouraging.

“Bully with a roughshod playing style that forces blockers to match his physicality. Robinson is built for the trenches with the versatility to play in odd or even fronts. He’s first into contact with his hands and mitigates average knee-bend with brute force in his upper half,” Zierlein wrote. “He’s powerful to set edges but lacks length to control and quickly shed NFL blockers. He’s an effort rusher with active hands who can exploit a weak edge and thrive in gaming fronts, but possesses average creativity. Robinson might not be a star, but his effort, strength, and demeanor could make him a productive pro for years to come.”

While Zierlein wasn’t sold on Robinson as an early Day 3 selection, his coworker, Daniel Jeremiah, was, giving him the 103rd spot on his final top 150 prospects list at the end of April – eight spots before he was selected by the Eagles. Robinson’s big combine certainly turned some heads as the draft approached, and in the end, Jeremiah was closer than Zierlein when Roseman and company ran in the final card.

Who is more correct, Zierlein, Jeremiah, or Carter? Is the rookie rusher too stiff to really shine at the NFL level, or will his athletic gifts, when coupled with some quality coaching from Clint Hurtt, turn him into a certified starter like fellow mid-round pick Milton Williams before him? Fans will find out soon enough.

This article first appeared on NFL on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

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