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Merlin Robertson NFL Draft Profile
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Merlin Robertson Scouting ReportRobertson has a feel for positioning. He naturally flows to and seeks out ball carriers, and he consistently engages with his frame. Robertson has a physical disposition toward blocks. He brings excellent effort, dishes out solid hits in tight spaces, and flashes hand usage as a pass rusher. Robertson is more appealing in the box, he does have respectable coverage ability for his size. The Arizona State ILB shows glimpses of good pre-snap recognition ability. He identifies routes and positions himself to effectively slow separation. Robertson has shown he can key in on the quarterback’s eyes and cover targeted receivers in the middle of the field. He also uses his physicality to slow up routes at their stems. Moreover, Robertson can be proactive with his length in coverage and knows how to attain inside leverage. It’s worth noting one more time that Robertson’s effort underpins his game. While he doesn’t bring torrid play pace, he has exceptional competitive toughness, and he’s generally active and near the football. His awareness to pick out fumbles in the congestion and all-around utility may also translate on special teams.
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Areas for ImprovementRobertson plays upright, and he doesn’t carry a ton of momentum as a result. He can be stiff on direction changes and doesn’t sink his hips very well. Furthermore, Robertson lacks great explosiveness out of those direction changes. That explosiveness is lacking off the line as well. Robertson often employs stiff, short strides that don’t cover a lot of ground. The Arizona State ILB doesn’t have great pursuit speed or range, and he’s not very twitchy, either. He can’t always bring ball carriers down in pursuit, and it looks like he’s playing at two-thirds speed at times in space. Robertson could be more proactive and instinctive when patrolling the second level, as he often arrives at plays late for low-value tackles. Again, his hustle isn’t the issue here — it’s his hip fluidity and range. Robertson has room for improvement. The Arizona State product doesn’t always wrap up when tackling, sometimes throwing his mass at opponents. His hands aren’t especially fast or violent in block-shedding situations, and he can struggle to disengage at the second level. When rushing the passer, he doesn’t have great hip sink or bend around the edge. Robertson’s physicality against routes may draw more penalties at the next level, especially if he has to use that physicality to make up for athletic deficits. He can be a bit grabby, and that’ll need to be toned down in the NFL. |
Merlin Robertson Career at Arizona StateFew inaugural college football seasons in recent memory have been as productive as Robertson’s. The Arizona State ILB played 749 snaps on defense and logged 77 total tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, 5 sacks, an interception, 2 pass deflections, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery. Robertson’s early success didn’t go unnoticed. He was named Defensive Freshman of the Year in the Pac-12 conference and quickly earned notoriety as a rising star. Unfortunately for Robertson, however, that would be the peak of his college career through 2020. Robertson still produced in 2019, amassing 74 total tackles, 5 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, an interception, 2 pass deflections, 3 forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery in 13 games. However, he failed to receive all-conference recognition. In 2020, it was a similar story. In four games, Robertson earned 20 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, an interception, and a pass deflection. He again failed to earn even a vote as an honorable mention.
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Merlin Robertson NFL Draft Player ProfileRobertson primarily aligns as the SAM linebacker on the Sun Devils instincts. He has a very refined frame that is NFL-ready - thich base and adequate muscle mass. His instincts are extremely astute; very easy to see how quickly and fluidly his mind processes on the field. Electric run defender who is able to sniff out draws from either the A or B gap. Sheds blocks with ultimate ease. Technical tackling ability is superb - doesn’t try and clip ankles, always goes after the play the correct way. Pass-rushing ability is a positive; mostly attacks from the inside and his closing speed is solid. Improving in coverage; never going to be a true “sideline to sideline” backer, but knows his role and excels at it.
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