After going through a mini camp with other draftees and younger players and then a regular camp with the veteran players, Guelph native Tavius Robinson knows what he has to work on to realize his goal of playing in the National Football League with the Baltimore Ravens.
“Definitely my two-point stance,” the outside linebacker said. “I've played enough three for the past two, two and a half years. And we do a little bit of two-point stance here. So that's something I'm going to be touching up on.”
Robinson was at home in Guelph when he was selected in the fourth round, 124th overall, of this year’s draft by Baltimore in late April.
“Yeah, I was at home with my friends and family when I got the call. I was definitely excited for all of us,” he said. “It got loud. When I first got the call, it was quiet. And it was quiet around. And then once we all found out it was Baltimore, it got loud real quick for sure.”
For a defensive player, it’s almost a dream come true to go to the Ravens who are known more for their play on the defensive side of the ball.
“Baltimore is the defense and all that stuff,” he said. “It's something I've always, you know, watched.”
The camps gave Robinson a bit of an idea of what to expect at the main training camp this summer.
“It's definitely different,” he said. “And the players are different and that type of stuff, but at the end of the day, it’s football. For me, it's kind of just the next step to better my game and become a better player. So it's not too different other than the technique and some of the plays and that type of stuff.”
And he’ll have a new playbook to learn, something he doesn’t think will be a huge challenge.
“I remember going into (the University of Guelph with the Gryphons) my first year, I got it down pretty quick and then going to the SEC (with Ole Miss) I had to learn a whole new playbook twice and I got that down. So I'm kind of just doing the same things I did those past two experiences here.”
It’s not lost on Robinson that the COVID-19 pandemic played a role in his progression as a player. When the 2020 season was cancelled, he sent his highlight tape to several schools and accepted an invitation from Ole Miss to head south and give four-down football a try. And the transfer rules were changed to allow athletes to keep playing their sport without having to sit out a year.
“Most definitely it was a blessing in disguise,” Robinson said. “I mean, getting that opportunity to transfer to the SEC, I don't know if it would have came if I had to stay at Guelph or (without) COVID because I would have had to sit out a year and all that stuff. So definitely was a blessing in disguise.”
However, the thought was in his mind of trying NCAA football even when he was playing for the Gryphons.
“It was something I always wanted to do for sure,” he said. “Even my first year at Guelph I was talking with people about doing it, but I would have had to sit out a year and with COVID it allowed me to kind of just transition to it smoothly. So it was perfect for sure.”
A few days after the NFL draft, he was selected by the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the eighth and final round of the CFL draft, 66th overall.
“My main focus is the NFL and the Baltimore Ravens so that's where all my focus is right now for sure,” he said.
Everything’s in place for Robinson to concentrate strictly on football with the Ravens now. He’s graduated from Ole Miss where he was taking multi-disciplinary studies.
“It was like criminal justice, business and sports marketing,” he said.
Robinson is pleased to be used to show what can be accomplished if you set a goal and focus on that goal. He also realizes what being picked in the NFL draft can mean to other young football players in Canada.
“Yeah, it's huge,” he said. “I think it just goes to show how many good players are up in Canada and you know a lot of them will go unnoticed because we just don't have the resources there. I think we definitely 100 per cent have the players, but the resources aren't there to allow us to develop at a fast enough rate compared to the Americans.”
Robinson was one of a record five Canadians picked in this year’s NFL draft.
“It was a record-breaking year (and that’s) big,” he said. “We want that to continue to happen every year to get more eyes up in Canada because there's so many players who deserve it. I can think of players on my Guelph team who if they were in a (NCAA Division 1) school, they would be in the NFL right now.”
Robinson signed a rookie contract with the Ravens last month, a four-year deal, making his dream become even more of a reality.
“Whatever your dreams are, whatever you're going to do, just keep working hard at that,” he said. “You know, at the end of the day, hard work and dedication will get you where you want. So, you know, for all the Canadian kids, you know it's possible so just keep grinding and good things will happen for sure.”
