Gang Green Nation
The Jets recently signed linebacker Mark Robinson off the New England Patriots’ practice squad. Today we break Robinson down in detail.
The 26-year old Robinson is listed at 5’11” and 235 pounds and was a seventh round pick out of Ole Miss in 2022. Brownlee spent his first three seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he made four starts and was a key contributor on special teams but was released by them at the end of preseason in August.
Background
Robinson began his career at Presbyterian in 2017, as a running back who was not a highly-rated recruit out of high school. He rushed for 332 yards and five touchdowns in his first season, and then transferred to Southeast Missouri State.
After rushing for 364 yards and four scores in 2018, he posted career-highs in 2019 with 582 yards and seven touchdowns. He also caught 14 passes for 62 yards over those two seasons.
In 2020, he transferred to Ole Miss, sitting out the 2020 season under the NCAA transfer rules in place at the time. During that year, the coaching staff convinced a reluctant Robinson to move to linebacker and it proved to be a key moment in his career.
He started nine of the 13 games in 2021 and racked up 92 tackles and three sacks to establish himself as a potential late round pick. Sure enough, the Steelers saw enough in Robinson to select him in the seventh round. Ironically this was with the Jets pick, acquired along with Avery Williamson in a trade.
As a rookie, Robinson made the Steelers roster but was usually a healthy scratch. However, he eventually played in four games and even made two starts, although he only played 44 defensive snaps in total. He ended up with nine tackles.
2023 and 2024 saw him played every game. He made two starts and played 151 defensive snaps in 2023, racking up 30 tackles and one sack. However, in 2024, he barely played on defense and had six tackles in a special teams role.
Robinson failed to make the Steelers’ 2025 roster and was on New England’s practice squad when the Jets signed him in response to the Quincy Williams and Marcelino McCrary-Ball injuries.
Let’s move onto some more in-depth analysis of what Robinson brings to the table as a player, based on extensive research and film study.
Measurables/Athleticism
Robinson is undersized for a full-time linebacker role and has short arms, but he has impressive strength as he racked up 34 bench press reps at his pro day.
The rest of his pro day numbers were around average for the position, including a 4.69 in the 40-yard dash, but he looks to have burst and explosiveness on film.
Usage
Robinson is an off-ball linebacker who played as an inside linebacker in the Steelers’ 3-4 scheme.
Interestingly, he was also practicing to play the fullback position at one stage with the Steelers, although it never happened in a real game. As noted earlier, he...
