In the 2025 NFL Draft alone, three members of the Oregon Ducks defensive line were selected. The 2026 draft had the chance to be even more impressive, as the starting quartet of A'Mauri Washington, Bear Alexander, Matayo Uiagalelei and Teitum Tuioti were all sure-fire draftees — yet they all decided to come back for another season, bolster their draft stock and chase a national championship together.
It should come as no surprise that North Carolina Tar Heels transfer defensive lineman D'Antre Robinson joined the Oregon program with NFL goals in mind despite having to operate in a depth role in 2026, barring injury. He explained as such to reporters on Monday, revealing that the decision to transfer to the Ducks didn't take much thought.
"With Oregon, the way they deliver, how hard it is to come here, how hard it is to work here," Robinson said. "And, you know, they have the resume that tells you if you're a D-lineman, it's almost guaranteed, you come in and work hard, you come in and be the guy, you come here and work and do your thing, you’re basically gonna go to the league. They set that resume for the last four or five years; it was a no-brainer for me. If I come here, it's gonna be hard work, it’s gonna be hard for me to come, but come put in the work and you’ve got a great chance of going to NFL. That's my main goal."
Speaking to Robinson's point of it being hard to come to Oregon, play time won't be given. As a junior this fall, he'll be operating behind two NFL-caliber defensive tackles in Washington and Alexander. But that's not to say he can't carve out a role himself, as he has the frame (6-foot-4, 315 pounds) and mindset to, once his time comes, make the jump to the pros as well.
Robinson, a three-star prospect out of high school, landed with the Florida Gators during his true freshman season. He then transferred to North Carolina, where he saw plenty of reps last season in racking up 39 tackles, a half sack and a forced fumble. While the Orlando, FL, native showed out, he still thought that there was more to gain with joining a program of Oregon's ilk with loads of talent in the defensive line room.
"I was like, ‘Man, I get to play and learn from guys like Bear Alexander and A’Mauri Washington,’ and then I come here, and I learned about Matt Johnson," Robinson said. You know, his work ethic is crazy. Like, people don't know that, but Matt Johnson’s work ethic is super crazy. He made me want to work even harder. I just love the room that we have. You can learn different things from different players, and everybody has a different game, but, like, we take a piece from everybody's game and really just start from that. Aydin Breland’s pass-rushing moves. I just trying to learn from him. Matt Johnson's work ethic, Bear Alexander’s strike, I’m trying to get my strike better. A’Mauri Washington, he's as fast as I don't know what off the line. So they’re crazy. I have just learned from everybody here."
It's clear that Robinson is attacking his first few months at Oregon with improvement at the top of his mind, surely exciting defensive coordinator Chris Hampton and defensive line coach Tony Tuioti. With continued improvement added to the proven ability of competing at the power conference level, expect Robinson to find ways to contribute this fall before stepping fully into the spotlight come 2027.
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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: UNC transfer D'Antre Robinson looking to make NFL jump at Oregon