The Griffon News

The Griffons’ senior tight end Gijon Robinson has one more college football game to play.

Robinson has been invited to play in the Texas vs. the Nation all-star game. The game in its first year will be played on Feb. 2 in El Paso, Texas at Sun Bowl stadium.

It will feature many of the nation’s top players who are looking to get some national exposure. Robinson is looking for some of that national attention to increase his chances of being drafted by an NFL team. He will be playing against some of the best players in the country, including Oklahoma quarterback Paul Thompson.

“Hopefully playing in this game will get me some recognition as one of the top athletes in the nation,” Robinson said.

Many college players will use this game to show off their talents for NFL scouts. Many scouts will be there to look at players for NFL franchises. Impressing one of these scouts could earn a player an individual workout with a team.

“A lot of NFL scouts will be there to watch this game,” Robinson said. “I want to show them what I can do for any team that will need a tight end in the upcoming draft.”

Proving himself against some of the top players in the nation will help Robinson’s chances of getting drafted or signing a free agent contract after the draft. Playing well in this game will show that he is one of the top players in the country at any division.

Robinson was second on the team in receptions last season with 25. Only wide receiver Jarrett Brooks had more with 49. Robinson had 253 yards receiving and one touchdown. He averaged 10.1 yards per catch.

His receiving skills aren’t the only reasons Robinson was invited to play in the game; his outstanding blocking ability is what sets him apart from everyone else.

“I think my blocking ability is one of the reasons I got invited to play in this game,” Robinson said.

Finding a tight end with the ability to get open and block is rare. Many teams use different tight ends in running and passing situations. Having the ability to do both will help Robinson’s NFL stock.

Although Robinson is going to play in the game, he wasn’t the first person in his family to know about it.

“They called my dad first, and then my dad called and told me,” Robinson said. “I just prayed to God and thanked him for the opportunity.”