# Dorian Thompson-Robinson
**Dorian Thompson-Robinson** (nicknamed "DTR") is an [American football](https://www.edgepedia.org/american-football) quarterback who set UCLA's career records for total offense, completions, passing yards, and touchdowns before being selected by the [Cleveland Browns](https://www.edgepedia.org/cleveland-browns) in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL Draft. He played in 15 games (five starts) across two seasons with Cleveland, was traded to the [Philadelphia Eagles](https://www.edgepedia.org/philadelphia-eagles) in 2025, and later played for the Birmingham Stallions of the United Football League (UFL).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Recruiting | Dual-threat quarterback at Bishop Gorman High School, Las Vegas; ESPN scout grade 86; signed with UCLA on April 23, 2017[1](https://www.espn.com/college-sports/football/recruiting/player/_/id/215718/dorian-thompson-robinson) |
| UCLA career | 50 games (48 starts), 63.3% completion rate; school records for total yards (12,536), completions (860), passing yards (10,710), passing touchdowns (88), and total touchdowns (116)[2](https://www.nfl.com/news/2023-nfl-draft-pro-execs-scouts-coaches-rank-and-evaluate-the-qb-class) |
| Best season | 2022: 27 passing touchdowns, 12 rushing touchdowns, career-best 69.6% completion, on a 9-4 Bruins team[2](https://www.nfl.com/news/2023-nfl-draft-pro-execs-scouts-coaches-rank-and-evaluate-the-qb-class) |
| Combine | 4.56-second 40-yard dash (fourth among 2023 QBs), 32.5-inch vertical (eighth), 10-foot-1 broad jump (fourth)[2](https://www.nfl.com/news/2023-nfl-draft-pro-execs-scouts-coaches-rank-and-evaluate-the-qb-class) |
| Draft | Fifth round, 140th overall, 2023 NFL Draft, Cleveland Browns[3](https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/dorian-thompson-robinson-1.html) |
| NFL playing record | 15 games (five starts) over his first two NFL seasons with Cleveland[4](https://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/news/eagles-waive-dorian-thompson-robinson) |
| Later moves | Traded to Philadelphia for Kenny Pickett plus a 2025 fifth-round pick, then waived by the Eagles[5](https://www.nfl.com/players/dorian-thompson-robinson/) • [4](https://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/news/eagles-waive-dorian-thompson-robinson) |
## Recruiting and high school
Thompson-Robinson came from [Bishop Gorman High School](https://www.edgepedia.org/bishop-gorman-high-school) in Las Vegas, Nevada, where ESPN rated him a dual-threat quarterback with a scout grade of 86, listing him at 6 feet 2 inches and 194 pounds with a 4.78-second 40-yard dash as a member of the class of 2018[1](https://www.espn.com/college-sports/football/recruiting/player/_/id/215718/dorian-thompson-robinson). His school list included Alabama, Arizona, Arizona State, Boise State, California, and Colorado, but he signed with UCLA in April 2017[1](https://www.espn.com/college-sports/football/recruiting/player/_/id/215718/dorian-thompson-robinson).
## UCLA career
Thompson-Robinson became a rare five-year starter, a length of tenure made possible by the NCAA's COVID-19 eligibility rules[2](https://www.nfl.com/news/2023-nfl-draft-pro-execs-scouts-coaches-rank-and-evaluate-the-qb-class). Across 50 games and 48 starts he completed 63.3 percent of his passes and left UCLA as the school's all-time leader in total offense (12,536 yards, the only UCLA player over 12,000), completions (860), total touchdowns (116), touchdown passes (88), and passing yards (10,710)[2](https://www.nfl.com/news/2023-nfl-draft-pro-execs-scouts-coaches-rank-and-evaluate-the-qb-class) • [6](https://uclabruins.com/sports/football/roster/dorian-thompsonrobinson/9994).
His season-by-season production rose steadily under coach [Chip Kelly](https://www.edgepedia.org/chip-kelly): from 1,311 passing yards and 7 touchdowns as a freshman in 2018 to 3,169 passing yards and 27 touchdowns in 2022, with rushing totals that peaked at 645 yards and 12 touchdowns that final year[7](https://www.si.com/college/ucla/football/nfl-draft-preview-2023-ucla-football-quarterback-dorian-thompson-robinson). In 2020 and 2021 he was named All-Pac-12 Second Team, and in 2022 he earned All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention and was a Davey O'Brien Award semifinalist[7](https://www.si.com/college/ucla/football/nfl-draft-preview-2023-ucla-football-quarterback-dorian-thompson-robinson). During a 2021 game at Colorado, he ran for 109 yards and passed for 303, making him the first UCLA quarterback to hit both the 100-yard rushing and 300-yard passing marks in a single contest.[8](https://uclabruins.com/documents/download/2021/11/16/Week_11_UCLA_Football_Notesa.pdf)
The 2022 season was his best. He finished sixth in the nation in completion percentage (.696), a school season record, ranked ninth nationally in points responsible for (238), and was one of only two FBS quarterbacks, along with Bo Nix of Oregon, to finish with at least 27 passing touchdowns and 12 rushing touchdowns[6](https://uclabruins.com/sports/football/roster/dorian-thompsonrobinson/9994). His final game was a [Sun Bowl](https://www.edgepedia.org/sun-bowl) loss to [Pittsburgh](https://www.edgepedia.org/pittsburgh) in which he threw three interceptions, headbutted a Pitt player, and left with what the school said was a lower-back injury; one NFL coach cited the game as evidence he still had growing up to do[2](https://www.nfl.com/news/2023-nfl-draft-pro-execs-scouts-coaches-rank-and-evaluate-the-qb-class).
## 2023 draft evaluation
At the [NFL Scouting Combine](https://www.edgepedia.org/nfl-scouting-combine), Thompson-Robinson ran a 4.56-second 40-yard dash, fourth among quarterbacks, with a 32.5-inch vertical jump and a 10-foot-1 broad jump, and he was a high performer on the S2 Cognition test[2](https://www.nfl.com/news/2023-nfl-draft-pro-execs-scouts-coaches-rank-and-evaluate-the-qb-class). A panel of pro executives, scouts, and coaches assembled by NFL.com ranked him the No. 10 quarterback in the class and projected him for rounds 5 or 6, describing a streaky passer with good size (6-1 5/8, 203 pounds), a big arm, and the ability to make plays with his legs[2](https://www.nfl.com/news/2023-nfl-draft-pro-execs-scouts-coaches-rank-and-evaluate-the-qb-class). Scouts noted that some teams had been turned off by questions about his maturity and leadership before the 2022 season, though word from the school was that he had improved in those areas[2](https://www.nfl.com/news/2023-nfl-draft-pro-execs-scouts-coaches-rank-and-evaluate-the-qb-class). Draft analysts compared him to longtime backups such as [Tyler Huntley](https://www.edgepedia.org/tyler-huntley) and [Josh Johnson](https://www.edgepedia.org/josh-johnson-quarterback)[9](https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl/news/ucla-tyler-huntley-josh-johnson-comparisons/stldaqwn3wvookxfaablnrm8).
## NFL career
The Cleveland Browns selected Thompson-Robinson in the fifth round, 140th overall, of the 2023 NFL Draft[3](https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/dorian-thompson-robinson-1.html). He had a strong training camp and preseason as a rookie and was called the star of Cleveland's preseason by local coverage[10](https://www.axios.com/local/cleveland/2023/08/17/browns-preseason-eagles-chiefs). When [Deshaun Watson](https://www.edgepedia.org/deshaun-watson) was sidelined early in the 2023 season, Thompson-Robinson made his first NFL start against the [Baltimore Ravens](https://www.edgepedia.org/baltimore-ravens)[11](https://apnews.com/article/b00b76eb7861967283b6ff9cd44d2e70), and after Watson's season-ending shoulder injury he was named the starter against Pittsburgh in November 2023[12](https://www.axios.com/local/cleveland/2023/11/15/deshaun-watson-browns-injury-update-surgery).
In 2024 he again saw starting duty as [Cleveland](https://www.edgepedia.org/cleveland) cycled through quarterbacks, including a start against [Cincinnati](https://www.edgepedia.org/cincinnati) with a full week of preparation as QB1[5](https://www.nfl.com/players/dorian-thompson-robinson/). Across his two Browns seasons he appeared in 15 games with five starts[4](https://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/news/eagles-waive-dorian-thompson-robinson).
In March 2025 the Browns traded him to the Philadelphia Eagles, along with a 2025 fifth-round pick, in the deal that brought quarterback [Kenny Pickett](https://www.edgepedia.org/kenny-pickett) to Cleveland[5](https://www.nfl.com/players/dorian-thompson-robinson/). Philadelphia waived him the following offseason[4](https://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/news/eagles-waive-dorian-thompson-robinson).
## Personal
His parents are Melva Thompson-Robinson and Michael Robinson; he has a brother and a sister, and his hobbies include drawing and listening to music[6](https://uclabruins.com/sports/football/roster/dorian-thompsonrobinson/9994).
## References
1. [Dorian Thompson-Robinson Quarterback: Dual Threat Recruiting Profile, ESPN](https://www.espn.com/college-sports/football/recruiting/player/_/id/215718/dorian-thompson-robinson)
2. [2023 NFL Draft: Pro execs, scouts, coaches rank and evaluate the QB class, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/news/2023-nfl-draft-pro-execs-scouts-coaches-rank-and-evaluate-the-qb-class)
3. [Dorian Thompson-Robinson College Stats, Sports-Reference](https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/dorian-thompson-robinson-1.html)
4. [Eagles waive QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson, PhiladelphiaEagles.com](https://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/news/eagles-waive-dorian-thompson-robinson)
5. [Dorian Thompson-Robinson Stats, News and Video, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/players/dorian-thompson-robinson/)
6. [Dorian Thompson-Robinson, Football, UCLA Bruins](https://uclabruins.com/sports/football/roster/dorian-thompsonrobinson/9994)
7. [NFL Draft Preview 2023: UCLA Football QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson, Sports Illustrated](https://www.si.com/college/ucla/football/nfl-draft-preview-2023-ucla-football-quarterback-dorian-thompson-robinson)
8. [UCLA Football Week 11 Notes (2021), uclabruins.com](https://uclabruins.com/documents/download/2021/11/16/Week_11_UCLA_Football_Notesa.pdf)
9. [Dorian Thompson-Robinson NFL Draft scouting report, Sporting News](https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl/news/ucla-tyler-huntley-josh-johnson-comparisons/stldaqwn3wvookxfaablnrm8)
10. [Browns to close out preseason against Eagles, Chiefs, Axios Cleveland](https://www.axios.com/local/cleveland/2023/08/17/browns-preseason-eagles-chiefs)
11. [Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku burned in home accident, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/b00b76eb7861967283b6ff9cd44d2e70)
12. [What Deshaun Watson's season-ending injury means for the Browns, Axios Cleveland](https://www.axios.com/local/cleveland/2023/11/15/deshaun-watson-browns-injury-update-surgery)
13. [2026 Birmingham Stallions statistics, UFL](https://storage.googleapis.com/ufleague-prod/2026/05/22/468790f6-9095-4d23-9c8b-d3be4586b5a1.pdf)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Rugby and other football codes › American football players, coaches, and executives › Quarterbacks › 2010s quarterbacks*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license