In this series I’ll be going over who I think will be the top 20 impact players for the Lions in 2018, next up is A’Shawn Robinson.
Down to the final five and some of these may not be what you expect. If you have followed the list maybe not… I think the top two are a given but the other three could go in any order in my opinion. At number five I have A’Shawn Robinson; if the Lions are to do well this season then he will have to perform well.
Having a big strong defensive tackle may not show up on the stat sheet as an impact player but having one gives a lot of freedom for the rest of the defense to focus on their individual roles, rather than waiting to see if a run will develop. Someone who makes a huge impact with regards to that is Ndamukong Suh. You know if the offense is running Suh’s way then they aren’t going to get very far. I’m not going to say A’Shawn Robinson has the same style of play as Suh as he doesn’t have that raw power. But I would like to see him become more stout in the running game. It’s not a flashy position or job to have but it is one of the most important ones on the defense. If you haven’t got a good run defender then you aren’t going to win games.
Another way he makes an impact is through batting passes. Being versatile like that is a huge addition to the game as quarterbacks will have to change their throwing style when going near A’Shawn Robinson. They can’t throw a low trajectory pass over him as he uses his hands very well to get them up and disrupt passes. As I said above he won’t look like a flashy player and when watching the game he may not jump out as a standout one either. But he will be the backbone of the team in the run game and if you watch him play you’ll realize his importance and the impact he makes.
List so far:
Golden Tate – #9
Jarrad Davis – #8
Glover Quin – #7
Marvin Jones – #6
Thanks for checking out the article everyone. Go Lions! Let me know what you think on Twitter @Alex_Watt_Lions and be sure to join the community on the Detroit Lions subreddit.
