The talk the past two weeks has been dominated by the debut and now knee issue with first-round defensive lineman Walter Nolen III. (His status this week is still TBD.) But the 2024 first-round defensive lineman Darius Robinson is also under the microscope as he gets into his NFL career.

Robinson hurt his groin in Seattle, leaving what was probably his best game of the season. He hasn't had many splash plays in his 13 NFL games -- he hasn't even played the equivalent of a full NFL season yet -- but defensive coordinator Nick Rallis has consistently praised Robinson's efforts.

"I thought he did some really good things in the run game (Sunday), knocking it back and being disruptive," Rallis said. "I mentioned the other day, playing fast and violent right now. He is a huge piece right now to our defense. I feel his presence. In terms of the pass game, he's done a really good job of pushing the pocket to where, even if the ball gets out, quarterbacks are feeling him at their feet."

The statistics are far from eye-popping: 12 tackles in seven games, with a sack and two tackles for loss. Rallis acknowledged he doesn't know about the stats. But he was asked that despite the analysis from outside the team that Robinson has not been impactful, Robinson's worth is viewed much differently internally.

"He's a huge part of this defense," Rallis said.