A’Shawn Robinson showed off his run-stopping skills last season, but the Lions would like to see the defensive tackle improve as a pass rusher.
Robinson, a second-round pick in 2016, led Alabama with 5.5 sacks as a true freshman so the Lions know Robinson is capable. But he made only two sacks with five quarterback hurries as a rookie.
“We think we’ve got to just continue to try to accelerate him in the pass game and work on his pass rush so that he can be a three-down player for us and give us some inside pass rush,” Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said, via Tim Twentyman of the team’s website.
Robinson became a starter late last season and ended up starting five games. He averaged 59 percent of the snaps in the final three games, including the postseason.
Robinson has spent this offseason working on his pass-rushing technique.
“He looks really good right now,” Austin said. “I think he’s really doing some good things.”