NFL: One breakout star for each team in the 2018 season

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CHICAGO, IL – NOVEMBER 19: A’Shawn Robinson #91 of the Detroit Lions celebrates after defeating the Chicago Bears 27-24 at Soldier Field on November 19, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

50. . DL, Detroit Lions. . A'Shawn Robinson. . team

A’Shawn Robinson was thought to be a first-round lock during the 2016 NFL Draft, but he inexplicably slipped to Detroit with the 46th overall pick. In two years he’s made just 2.5 sacks and 54 total tackles, but last year he was able to start all 16 games for Jim Caldwell.

Entering his third year in the league and second as a full-time starter Robinson is primed to break out under a new coaching staff and defensive coordinator Paul Pasqualoni, formerly with Boston College and Syracuse.

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New head coach and former Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia won’t paint a big brush on his defense and call it a 4-3 or a 3-4. Football has changed where now 80% of the plays on defense are in sub packages, so tagging a defense one thing or another is becoming outdated.

That being said, Robinson primarily played as a 4-3 defensive tackle under Caldwell and finished 46th overall on PFF’s grades of defensive tackles. His highest grade game as a pass rusher for his ability to disrupt the interior of the offensive line, though that hasn’t lead to numbers and sack production, as mentioned earlier. Robinson wasn’t much of a sack machine at Alabama, setting his career high as a freshman with 5.5 sacks.

Look for Robinson to better himself by leaps and bounds next year and be one of the more ferocious interior linemen in the league.

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