Darius Robinson's NFL dreams play out in front of hometown fans at draft
DETROIT, Mich. — Surrounded by his mother, Valori Robinson, his older brother, Reggie Robinson, his grandmother Gwendolyn Lawson, Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz, former Missouri (and now LSU) EDGE coach Kevin Peoples and a few other loved ones in the green room, Darius Robinson couldn’t help but show that ever-present smile after NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell called his name.
“With the 27th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Arizona Cardinals select Darius Robinson, defensive tackle, Missouri,” Goodell announced in front of a record-breaking day one draft crowd of more than 275,000 people at Campus Martius Park.
Darius, who was decked out in a purple, pink and blue Terry Corbett suit with black slacks, black shoes and purple sunglasses, was smiling ear to ear as he grabbed his Cardinals hat on the way to the stage where he would later dap up and embrace Goodell before taking a picture with the commissioner as a first-round pick.
It was finally hitting him.
Darius’ lifelong dreams were playing out in front of his family and friends less than 30 minutes from where he grew up in Southfield, Michigan. It hadn't hit him until Goodell's announcement.
“Honestly, when they just called my name and I thought about the impact I’m about to have in this organization and I just can’t wait to get there,” he said in a post-draft interview with PowerMizzou.com.
It took a while to get to this point, though.
He spoke to over 20 teams during the pre-draft process, participated at the NFL Combine, performed at Pro Day in front of over 20 teams and did more media interviews than he can count.
It wasn’t real.
Surely, when he checked into the Westin Cadillac Hotel in downtown Detroit on Tuesday as one of 13 college players invited to the green room of the NFL Draft things would begin to feel real?
Not really.
Or perhaps when he met one of his favorite players growing up, Hall of Fame wide receiver and former Detroit Lion, Calvin Johnson Jr.?
It was cool, but that wasn’t the turning point for him just yet.
How about a day before the draft at The Corner Ballpark participating in the Play Football Prospect Clinic with Special Olympics athletes nine minutes away from where he’d get drafted Thursday evening? Nope.
Instead, he felt the brisk Detroit air on a gloomy sub-50° F Wednesday morning hitting his Cartier sunglasses, his gray heather Nike Tech jumpsuit complete with an NFL jacket and ‘Midnight Navy’ Air Jordan 5’s, as he joyfully led drills and tossed the ball around with the Special Olympians.
At that moment, Robinson was grateful to be where his feet were.
“Nah, it still doesn’t feel real yet. I feel like I’m in a movie right now but I'm just thankful for every opportunity and just excited to be out here with the kids today,” Darius said gleefully. “It’s awesome because I was just one of these kids not too long ago, and to be able to be around professional athletes is a blessing. So, it’s a surreal moment. I grew up about 20-30 minutes away from here. So, it's an awesome opportunity.”
Something else Darius was focused on and enjoyed doing was being the unofficial host of the draft.
“This is my city. I just drove up here yesterday,” Darius said chuckingly. “So, any recommendations these guys need I got them. I’d say Bucharest (Grill) (is my No. 1 food spot). We can go get us some lamb, some chicken. It’s a great spot not too far from here.”
To his credit, Darius got a good review from reigning Heisman winner Jayden Daniels, who he played against last season.
“D-Rob you know, he helps me. He did his job. He did a good job hosting me," Daniels said with a laugh.
After the event, Darius found time to do an exclusive interview with PowerMizzou.com in a cleared-out section in the back of the Sullivan Steakhouse inside his hotel.
But before the interview, Reggie had a surprise for his brother 一 an action figure of Darius, dressed in Mizzou’s all-black attire, yelling and flexing his muscles in an upward stance similar to what Darius did after a big play.
Not only that but on the base of the figure, it has some of Darius’ achievements, such as 2023 All-SEC First-team, 2023 First-team Academic All-American, NAACP Appreciation Award for Community Service and more.
So, when Darius arrived at the steakhouse, his ever-present smile was even wider.
The only thing that changed was his attire.
He was wearing a black hoodless sweatshirt from his website, dariusrobinsonshop.com, which said “ON ME” in white letters in the middle of the shirt with a small signature that said “D-Rob” under it. On the left sleeve, his jersey number, No. 6, was featured and on the back was a “DR.” He had black sweats on that had a gold “D-Rob” signature below the left pocket and he wore white No Bull shoes he received at the NFL Combine.
Despite what he was saying, you could see the realization of what this week meant and how much fun he was having.
“I feel great,” Darius exclaimed. “I get to see my best friend (former Mizzou and LSU defensive lineman Mekhi) Wingo in a little bit. We’re going to go work out, and having someone in this process with you allows you to feel comfortable and realize this is once and a lifetime. I’m just having fun.
"It means everything (to be at the draft with friends and family). I'm just ready for tomorrow to finish it with an exclamation point and then get back to work. But I'm just thankful that my mom and grandma will be able to see this."
Seemingly, Darius' gratefulness was the theme of the interview, and that's because this moment 一 this week -- could've been taken away.
Last June, during a summer workout, he thought he tore his achilles.
“We was just out there doing individual drills, and I just felt my calf pop, like boom,” Darius recalled. … “It almost went bad. It was a good thing to be saved by the bell.”
He was afraid he not only jeopardized his 2023 season but he thought he threw away a chance at the NFL.
Following the 2022 season, he received draft grades that ranged from the third to the fifth round. He almost declared for the 2023 draft, but after talking with Drinkwitz and other coaching staff personnel, he returned for one more season.
Fortunately for Darius, it was just a calf injury. It did hamper him through much of the first half of the 2023 season but it didn't stop him from producing career highs in tackles (43), tackles for loss (14), sacks (8.5), forced fumbles (one) and fumble recoveries (one).
Had the injury been to his achilles and not his calf, he’d probably be in Columbia preparing for another season via a medical redshirt.
“I was yelling, and I was mad because it was just so random,” Darius said as he played the injury back in his head. “I always do a good job stretching and all that stuff, and (the pop) was just so loud.
“I was definitely thinking in the back of my head, ‘Dang, why’d I come back here?’ But then I realized I’d be alright and I’ve just got to thank God because I’d be going on my sixth year (at Mizzou).”
It was all worth it, though.
He had a career season, the Tigers went 11-2 and won the Cotton Bowl and Darius was able to boost his draft stock tremendously.
Perhaps it wasn't the storybook ending that most people envisioned for him with the Detroit Lions having a chance to pick him at No. 24 after trading up from No. 29 with the Cowboys.
However, they opted to take Alabama cornerback Terrion Arnold. But in the end, to Darius, Arizona was the right place to end this story and begin a new one.
“AZ was one of them (I thought may draft me),” he said excitedly. “Awesome. They were my first visit at the Senior Bowl and my first visit at the Combine. So, I knew they trusted me and I’ve got a lot of work to do.”
It finally felt real. Days after he arrived back home, years after he first dreamed about it, Darius Robinson is an NFL football player. As he left home one more time and headed for an airplane and a few more interviews, a new beginning awaits in Phoenix.
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