2012-GameRelease-Divisional

Ultimately, Robinson committed to Michigan State as a cornerback, before blossoming into an All-Big 10
safety and team leader. Current 49ers tight end Garrett Celek went through the college grind with
Robinson and the two are proud to have made the same 53-man roster.
“He was one of those guys who would get up in front of the team and get everybody excited and hyped
up for games,” Celek said. “Everyone just looked up to him because he was a great football player.”
Throughout their four-year careers at Michigan State, Robinson and Celek went undefeated against
archrival Michigan. Just don’t tell Harbaugh, the proudest Michigan man on the 49ers.
While he was in East Lansing, Robinson also befriended one of his former high school foes Draymond
Green, the star of Michigan State’s basketball team. Robinson and Green, who was recently selected by
the Golden State Warriors in the first round of the NBA draft, competed against each other on the
hardwood, but it didn’t always end well for Robinson. Green was nearly a foot taller than Robinson and
had the athleticism to match.
“It didn’t work out too well,” Robinson said with a laugh. “He swears he scored like 25 or 30 points on me
in the first half, but I don’t believe it.”
Time To Work
Robinson’s locker sits on the west wall of the 49ers locker room, sandwiched between those of Frank
Gore and Anthony Dixon. Just two stalls down, on the other side of Gore, is where you can find Donte
Whitner.
Shortly after joining the 49ers in May, Robinson quickly sought out Whitner for his advice. The heady,
hard-hitting veteran is the perfect role model for Robinson, who frequently threw his body around with
reckless abandon to make impact plays throughout the preseason.
Now that Robinson made the 53-man cut, the real work starts.
“Especially being a sixth-round pick, it’s tough to make an NFL roster,” Whitner said. “But he understands
that this is not the end or his arrival moment. He still has a lot of work to do each and every day. It’s a lot,
a lot, a lot of hard work from this point on and he understands that.”
Listed at 5-foot-9, 193 pounds, Robinson doesn’t possess the prototypical size of an NFL safety. But if
anyone knows how to throw around his weight, it’s Whitner, who checks in 5-foot-10, 208. Coupled with
the guidance of respected men like defensive coordinator Vic Fangio and defensive backs coach Ed
Donatell, Robinson found himself quite a home in the NFL.
“Even though we’re rookies, they treat us with respect,” Robinson said. “Then you have guys at your
position who are veteran guys that have been in this game for a long time. For me, I’m in a great position
to learn from some great safeties. It’s been a smooth transition so far.”
Robinson earned a role as a second-string safety throughout training camp and received a lion’s share of
the playing time during the preseason contests. He also took a spot on the “Tony Montana Squad” kickoff
coverage team and made his name known to the 49ers coaching staff, but don’t expect him to tell you
about his early NFL triumphs.
“If we were to come over your house to watch TV, play video games and eat dinner, you would never
know he plays NFL football,” Cochran said. “Not that he doesn’t look the part, but because he’s literally
the most humble person I know. He just loves life and he loves being around his family and friends. He
doesn’t even talk about football that much.”
Week 1