Tavius Robinson Selected By Ravens in Fourth Round

“I just feel like I still have so much more room to grow,” Robinson said. “I’m a sponge. I like to be coached and become as best as I can at this game.”

Robinson grew up in Guelph, Ontario and started playing football at age 10. His uncle played in the CFL for a decade as a defensive back. Robinson’s plan was to pursue a career playing in the CFL.

The COVID-19 pandemic changed that plan. Football was cancelled across the country, so Robinson decided to reach out to schools in the United States. He sent out his tape and heard from dozens of schools. He signed with Ole Miss, left a part-time job at 1-800-GOT-JUNK he got to pay for school in Canada (they don’t have sports scholarships), and moved to the States a week before fall workouts.

Once in a big program, Robinson’s development took off. He got better every year, finishing with a strong final season in which he was voted a team captain.

Robinson is the fourth Canadian already selected in this year’s draft, which ties an all-time high.

“It’s so significant [to me] because there’s so many great players up here [in Canada] who, in my mind, if they were in D-1 schools, they would be in the same position, but it’s hard to get that opportunity from Canada,” Robinson said.

“It’s great to see and I think it will continue to open up more opportunities for Canadian kids, which they deserve because there’s so much talent up here. Once that talent really gets tapped into, I think the numbers are just going to rise and rise every year.”