GUELPH, Ont. – For the first time in University of Guelph history, a former Gryphon football student-athlete has been selected in the NFL Draft.
On Saturday, April 29, 2023, Guelph, Ontario native Tavius Robinson was selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the 4th round (22nd pick of the 4th round, 124th overall) of the 2023 National Football League (NFL) Draft.
After a standout high school football career with the Guelph Collegiate Vocational Institute (GCVI) Gaels, which included back-to-back District 10 championships, Tavius Robinson began his collegiate career in the fall of 2018 by staying in his hometown and attending the University of Guelph for two years.
During his rookie season as a Gryphon in 2018, Robinson immediately earned a starting spot at defensive end and led the Gryphons with a team-high 4 sacks while earning a spot on the OUA All-Rookie Team. As a sophomore at U of G, the landscape architecture major once again established himself as one of the top defensive players in the conference, racking up 6 sacks while earning all-conference honours as an OUA Second Team All-Star. When the 2020 OUA football season was cancelled due to COVID, Robinson decided to transfer, and made his way to the most prestigious conference south of the border as a new addition to the Ole Miss Rebels in the southeastern conference (SEC). In three seasons with Ole Miss, the six-foot-six, 257-pound Robinson accumulated 90 tackles, 11.5 sacks and five forced fumbles.
The Guelph native not only impressed on the field, but also in the classroom, where he was twice named to the Dean's Honour Roll while majoring in multi-disciplinary studies at the University of Mississippi.
Prior to the 2023 NFL Draft, Robinson impressed at the Senior Bowl, NFL combine, as well as Mississippi's pro day. The former Gryphon ran the 40-yard dash in 4.66, recorded 23 reps in the 225-pound bench press and posted a 33.5-inch vertical. Tavius Robsinson comes from an athletic family, which includes his uncle (Junior Robinson) having played eight seasons in the CFL as a defensive back in the 1980's, while Tavius' younger brother, Keyon, has recently committed to play OUA football with the Laurier Golden Hawks.
Now that Tavius Robinson has earned the title of the first-ever University of Guelph alum to be selected in the NFL Draft, he will now begin his pursuit of earning the chance to
play in an NFL game, which would be another first with the history of his hometown university. Robinson was
one of five Canadian players selected during the 2023 NFL Draft, which marked the highest number of Canadian players ever selected in an NFL Draft.
Later on Saturday, it was also announced
current Gryphon student-athlete, Siriman Harrison Bagayogo, had received an invite to NFL rookie mini-camp with the Kansas City Chiefs. Bagayogo, a sport management major at the University of Guelph, has been named a U SPORTS First Team All-Canadian at cornerback in each of the past two seasons.
With the 2023 NFL Draft now in the books, several current members of the Guelph Gryphons football program will hope to have their name called next week, with the 2023 CFL Draft set to take place on Tuesday, May 2. Bagayogo, as well as OUA All-Star receiver and All-Canadian kick returner
Clark Barnes, headline the potential Gryphon CFL Draft selections next week. In the latest edition of the
CFL's spring scouting bureau, in which the top Canadian prospects are ranked ahead of the CFL Draft, both Bagayogo and Barnes were listed among the top 20 (with Barnes at No. 14 and Bagayogo at No. 15). Tavius Robinson was also listed at No. 3 on the list, with Guelph being one of just two schools to have multiple players listed within the CFL Scouting Bureau's top 20 prospects (with the only other school being the NCAA's University of Illinois). The 2023 CFL Draft is set to get underway at 8pm ET on Tuesday, May 2 on TSN.
Related articles:
3DownNation.com: Canadian DE Tavius Robinson selected by Baltimore Ravens in fourth round of 2023 NFL Draft
3DownNation.com: All-time record five Canadians selected in 2023 NFL Draft
GuelphToday.com: Guelph's Tavius Robinson taken in 4th round of NFL Draft
The Globe and Mail: Guelph's Tavius Robinson takes unconventional path to NFL Draft
thestar.com: Canadian DL Tavius Robinson eagerly anticipating 2023 NFL Draft
olemissports.com player bio
