Conference Player of the Year just shined in front of a Bengals coach during East-West Shrine Bowl practices

Navy defensive tackle Landon Robinson had himself a productive week at the East-West Shrine Bowl.

John Sheeran — Cincinnati Bengals News Writer
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Dec 14, 2024; Landover, Maryland, USA; Navy Midshipmen defensive tackle Landon Robinson (96) runs on na fake punt during the second half against the Army Black Knights at Commanders Field.
© Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

The 2026 East-West Shrine Bowl kicks off Tuesday evening, but many future NFL players have already made impressions on league coaches and personnel members this past week during the practices between both sides.

Cincinnati Bengals defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery got to work with several of them on the East roster, including Navy defensive tackle and 2025 American Conference Defensive Player of the Year Landon Robinson, who had himself an impressive week under Montgomery’s coaching.

Robinson, who measured in under 6-0 and 300 pounds this week, is far from the biggest player on the field, but he did stand out to A to Z Sports’ AJ Schulte, who was watching practices live from Frisco, TX.

“I have to admit, Landon Robinson doesn’t look the part at just 5-11, 291, with sub-31 inch arms, but he was so explosive off of the line of scrimmage. Linemen all week struggled to block him off of sheer leverage alone. Several teams won’t have him on their boards at all off of size, but I enjoyed watching all week long.” — A to Z Sports’ AJ Schulte on Navy DT Landon Robinson

Robinson has leverage virtually no other defensive lineman is going to have, and playing at that size means he’ll need to an explosive athlete. The first step beyond his college playing career is continuing to prove it against other top players entering the 2026 NFL Draft. Robinson checked that box this past week.

Navy watched Robinson experience his best year for the Midshipmen, racking up 64 total tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, and 6.5 sacks on his way to earning AAC hardware for the program. Montgomery, entering his second year coaching Cincinnati’s d-line, then got to see what Schulte witnessed firsthand.

Robinson may not be drafted at his size, but if he’s available on the UDFA market, the Bengals could come calling after watching him impress against his peers.

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