This is probably a safe guess. Since you’ve watched the Philadelphia Eagles all your life, those of you who also love the college game have probably kept one eye on the Big Ten. These days, that’s certainly harder than ever as it’s now two schools short of becoming ‘The Big 20’.
Even with all of that being said, your Pennsylvania affiliations more than likely kept you from watching a ton of Nebraska football. Tom Osborne left a long time ago, and if we’re being honest, most Eagles fans lost track of Matt Rhule after Philadelphia beat his Carolina Panthers in Week 5 of the 2021 season.
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The 2025 NFL Draft brought about some changes. Philadelphia drafted a Nebraska Cornhusker in Round 4, and though discipline tells us not to put too much stock in a rookie until he has played meaningful snaps, it’s hard not to be excited. This guy’s nickname is the ‘Vanilla Gorilla’ for Heaven’s sake.
ESPN’s Tim McManus names Ty Robinson’s selection as the Eagles’ most underrated move
They say offense sells tickets, and defense wins championships.
One of the most significant talking points we’ve heard all offseason is the number of players lost from the defensive roster. Frankly, that take seems overstated.
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One of those weapons is rookie Ty Robinson, the aforementioned ‘Vanilla Gorilla’. Gosh, it’s easy to fall in love with that nickname, and it’s easy to love what Tim McManus said about him.
Tim is ESPN’s Eagles insider, and he recently participated in an NFC East roundtable. Once the topic turned to each team’s most underrated move, Robinson earned his shout-out.
“Drafting DT Ty Robinson in the fourth round (was Philly’s most underrated move). With minimal contact during OTA and minicamp practices, the offseason program isn’t exactly conducive to properly evaluating linemen. But that hasn’t stopped some of his new teammates from speaking highly of the Nebraska product. “That boy is fire, I ain’t going to lie,” DT Jalen Carter said. “He’s moving good. He’s a big boy. … I think he’s going to have a big impact this season.”
Robinson’s NCAA career ended with 134 tackles, including 27 for loss. He also racked up a dozen sacks and 12 pass breakups. He earned Third-team All-Big Ten honors in his swan song with the Cornhuskers last season.
This next part, however, is the best part of the story. Rhule gave him a single-digit jersey number, an honor reserved for the tough players on his team who have earned his respect. Ladies and gentlemen, we all loved Milton Williams and are sorry he’s gone, but Ty Robinson isn’t going to settle into this defense just fine.
This article originally appeared on Eagles Wire: Ty Robinson named a player to watch ahead of Eagles training camp