# Greg Robinson (offensive tackle)
**Greg Robinson** is a former [American football](https://www.edgepedia.org/american-football) offensive tackle who played college football at [Auburn University](https://www.edgepedia.org/auburn-university) and was selected second overall by the [St. Louis Rams](https://www.edgepedia.org/st-louis-rams) in the 2014 NFL Draft, a pick widely regarded as one of the biggest misses of its era.[1](https://time.com/93405/jadeveon-clowney-goes-first-in-nfl-draft/) • [2](https://www.theringer.com/2020/04/16/nfl-draft/nfl-draft-busts-lessons) He later played for the Detroit Lions and the Cleveland Browns before leaving the NFL after the 2019 season.[3](https://as.com/us/us/2017/06/15/nfl/1497538116_205567.html) • [4](https://www.nfl.com/news/browns-sign-former-no-2-overall-pick-greg-robinson-0ap3000000937743)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Position and size | Offensive tackle; 6 feet 5 inches, 330 pounds, 35-inch arms, 10-inch hands[5](https://www.nfl.com/players/greg-robinson/) |
| College | Auburn; starting left tackle from 2012 as a redshirt freshman; First-team All-SEC in 2013[6](https://static.clubs.nfl.com/image/upload/v1578085475/patriots/uxr72n1oebafbite4cyc.pdf) |
| 2013 production | Started all 14 games at left tackle; led the nation with 25 touchdown-resulting blocks on a rushing attack that led the nation with 4,596 yards[6](https://static.clubs.nfl.com/image/upload/v1578085475/patriots/uxr72n1oebafbite4cyc.pdf) |
| Combine athleticism | 4.92-second 40-yard dash at 332 pounds, second among 2014 tackles behind the 309-pound Taylor Lewan[2](https://www.theringer.com/2020/04/16/nfl-draft/nfl-draft-busts-lessons) |
| Draft | Second overall, St. Louis Rams, 2014 NFL Draft[1](https://time.com/93405/jadeveon-clowney-goes-first-in-nfl-draft/) |
| NFL teams | St. Louis Rams (2014–2016), Detroit Lions (2017), Cleveland Browns (2018–2019)[3](https://as.com/us/us/2017/06/15/nfl/1497538116_205567.html) • [4](https://www.nfl.com/news/browns-sign-former-no-2-overall-pick-greg-robinson-0ap3000000937743) |
| PFF grades | Never ranked above 64th among offensive tackles in three Rams seasons; 66.3 overall grade in 2019, 42nd of 82 qualified tackles[2](https://www.theringer.com/2020/04/16/nfl-draft/nfl-draft-busts-lessons) • [7](https://www.pff.com/nfl/players/greg-robinson/8637) |
## College career at Auburn
Robinson took over Auburn's starting left tackle job during the 2012 season as a redshirt freshman and started all 26 games he played for the Tigers, all at left tackle.[6](https://static.clubs.nfl.com/image/upload/v1578085475/patriots/uxr72n1oebafbite4cyc.pdf) In 2013 he earned Associated Press All-[Southeastern Conference](https://www.edgepedia.org/southeastern-conference) first-team honors and started all 14 games for a rushing offense that led the nation with 4,596 yards and featured two 1,000-yard runners, [Tre Mason](https://www.edgepedia.org/tre-mason) with 1,816 yards and Nick Marshall with 1,068.[6](https://static.clubs.nfl.com/image/upload/v1578085475/patriots/uxr72n1oebafbite4cyc.pdf) His 25 touchdown-resulting blocks led the nation that season, and he finished his Auburn career with 38 touchdown-resulting blocks and 292 key blocks or knockdowns.[6](https://static.clubs.nfl.com/image/upload/v1578085475/patriots/uxr72n1oebafbite4cyc.pdf) Auburn reached the [BCS National Championship Game](https://www.edgepedia.org/bcs-national-championship-game) after the 2013 season, and Florida State defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan described Robinson's ability to "almost wipe out the whole defensive line."[8](https://www.nfl.com/news/auburn-s-greg-robinson-has-one-of-a-kind-skill-set-coach-says-0ap2000000310089)
## Draft evaluation
**A rare athletic profile.** Robinson entered the 2014 draft as one of the most hyped offensive tackle prospects in years, drawing comparisons to two-time All-Pro Tyron Smith and Hall of Famer Orlando Pace, and leapfrogging the more polished Jake Matthews and [Taylor Lewan](https://www.edgepedia.org/taylor-lewan) on most big boards.[2](https://www.theringer.com/2020/04/16/nfl-draft/nfl-draft-busts-lessons) At the scouting combine he ran 4.92 seconds in the 40-yard dash at 332 pounds, second among tackles that year only to the 309-pound Lewan, and his 35-inch arms and quick footwork added to the appeal.[2](https://www.theringer.com/2020/04/16/nfl-draft/nfl-draft-busts-lessons) [Sports Illustrated](https://www.edgepedia.org/sports-illustrated) ranked him the third-best prospect in its class big board and the best overall offensive lineman in the draft, calling him the class's best run-blocker regardless of position while noting that he struggled in delayed blocking and open-space situations and was raw in pass protection.[9](https://www.si.com/nfl/2014/04/25/201-nfl-draft-top-64-greg-robinson) NFL Media analyst Daniel Jeremiah, after studying Auburn's championship-game tape, called him the second-best player on the field that day behind [Jameis Winston](https://www.edgepedia.org/jameis-winston).[10](https://www.nfl.com/news/auburn-s-greg-robinson-shows-ideal-traits-for-ot-position-0ap2000000299477) Auburn offensive line coach Herb Grimes, with more than 30 years coaching the position, gave him unusual praise, and one scout rated him a high first-round pick with a first-round grade from the draft advisory board despite his having played only two college seasons.[8](https://www.nfl.com/news/auburn-s-greg-robinson-has-one-of-a-kind-skill-set-coach-says-0ap2000000310089)
The St. Louis Rams selected him second overall on May 8, 2014, one pick after the [Houston Texans](https://www.edgepedia.org/houston-texans) took [Jadeveon Clowney](https://www.edgepedia.org/jadeveon-clowney) first.[1](https://time.com/93405/jadeveon-clowney-goes-first-in-nfl-draft/) Analyst Daniel Jeremiah went further than most, naming Robinson the draft class's potential future Hall of Famer before he had taken an NFL snap.[11](https://www.nfl.com/news/jeremiah-auburn-s-greg-robinson-can-be-hall-of-famer-0ap2000000347060)
## NFL career
**St. Louis Rams, 2014–2016.** Robinson began his Rams career learning right tackle, a position he had not played since high school, with the team intending to move him back to left tackle.[12](https://www.nfl.com/news/greg-robinson-i-m-not-up-to-pace-with-rams-0ap2000000360696) The move to left tackle did not produce the expected results. In three seasons with the Rams he never ranked above 64th in [Pro Football Focus](https://www.edgepedia.org/pro-football-focus)'s offensive tackle grades, and by 2017 the Rams had signed 35-year-old [Andrew Whitworth](https://www.edgepedia.org/andrew-whitworth) to replace him and traded him to Detroit.[2](https://www.theringer.com/2020/04/16/nfl-draft/nfl-draft-busts-lessons) • [3](https://as.com/us/us/2017/06/15/nfl/1497538116_205567.html) The Rams' 2016 offensive line had allowed 49 sacks, and the Spanish sports daily AS described the club as unwilling to keep him at left tackle.[3](https://as.com/us/us/2017/06/15/nfl/1497538116_205567.html)
**Detroit Lions, 2017.** Detroit acquired Robinson in June 2017 at what AS called an "irrisorio" (bargain) price to fill in at left tackle while first-round pick Taylor Decker recovered from shoulder surgery, giving him a chance to compete at left tackle, right tackle, and right guard.[3](https://as.com/us/us/2017/06/15/nfl/1497538116_205567.html)
**Cleveland Browns, 2018–2019.** Robinson signed with [Cleveland](https://www.edgepedia.org/cleveland) in 2018 as a backup tackle and, for the first time in his career, showed competent play as the Browns' starting left tackle.[4](https://www.nfl.com/news/browns-sign-former-no-2-overall-pick-greg-robinson-0ap3000000937743) His 2019 season earned a 66.3 overall PFF grade, 42nd among 82 qualified offensive tackles, the best-graded season of his career by that measure.[7](https://www.pff.com/nfl/players/greg-robinson/8637) The season also included discipline problems: he was ejected in the second quarter of the 2019 opener for kicking Titans safety [Kenny Vaccaro](https://www.edgepedia.org/kenny-vaccaro) and was later fined $10,527 for unnecessary roughness, and he was benched late in the season.[5](https://www.nfl.com/players/greg-robinson/) He re-signed with Cleveland in 2020 as a possible swing-tackle option after Donald Stephenson's suspension, with NFL.com noting it would be a surprise if he earned a regular role.[4](https://www.nfl.com/news/browns-sign-former-no-2-overall-pick-greg-robinson-0ap3000000937743)
## Assessment
Robinson's career became a case study in the limits of athletic traits. The Ringer's retrospective on memorable draft misses drew the lesson: do not fall in love with a lineman's attributes if the skills are not there, since his speed, size, footwork, and arm length enticed teams while the technique never caught up.[2](https://www.theringer.com/2020/04/16/nfl-draft/nfl-draft-busts-lessons) Pre-draft scouting had flagged exactly this risk: Sports Illustrated noted he was raw in pass protection and weak in delayed and open-field blocking, and suggested his best long-term fit might be guard rather than left tackle, raising the question of whether a guard or right tackle justified a top-five pick.[9](https://www.si.com/nfl/2014/04/25/201-nfl-draft-top-64-greg-robinson) His one stretch of competent NFL play came in Cleveland in 2018 and 2019, when he was no longer carrying a top-two pick's expectations.[7](https://www.pff.com/nfl/players/greg-robinson/8637)
## References
1. [Jadeveon Clowney Goes First in NFL Draft, Time](https://time.com/93405/jadeveon-clowney-goes-first-in-nfl-draft/)
2. [The Lessons Learned From Memorable NFL Draft Misses, The Ringer](https://www.theringer.com/2020/04/16/nfl-draft/nfl-draft-busts-lessons)
3. [Los Rams traspasan a Greg Robinson a los Lions, AS](https://as.com/us/us/2017/06/15/nfl/1497538116_205567.html)
4. [Browns sign former No. 2 overall pick Greg Robinson, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/news/browns-sign-former-no-2-overall-pick-greg-robinson-0ap3000000937743)
5. [Greg Robinson Stats, News and Video – OT, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/players/greg-robinson/)
6. [Greg Robinson biographical sketch, 2014 NFL club media guide](https://static.clubs.nfl.com/image/upload/v1578085475/patriots/uxr72n1oebafbite4cyc.pdf)
7. [Greg Robinson, Cleveland Browns T, PFF stats](https://www.pff.com/nfl/players/greg-robinson/8637)
8. [Auburn's Greg Robinson has one-of-a-kind skill set, coach says, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/news/auburn-s-greg-robinson-has-one-of-a-kind-skill-set-coach-says-0ap2000000310089)
9. [The SI 64, No. 3: Auburn OT Greg Robinson, Sports Illustrated](https://www.si.com/nfl/2014/04/25/201-nfl-draft-top-64-greg-robinson)
10. [Auburn's Greg Robinson shows ideal traits for OT position, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/news/auburn-s-greg-robinson-shows-ideal-traits-for-ot-position-0ap2000000299477)
11. [Jeremiah: Auburn's Greg Robinson can be Hall of Famer, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/news/jeremiah-auburn-s-greg-robinson-can-be-hall-of-famer-0ap2000000347060)
12. [Greg Robinson: 'I'm not up to pace' with Rams, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/news/greg-robinson-i-m-not-up-to-pace-with-rams-0ap2000000360696)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Rugby and other football codes › American football players, coaches, and executives › Offensive tackles*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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