Physically skilled, mentally obsessed

The NFL scouting combine has eight tests designed to gauge athleticism. Brian Robison, the 102nd draft pick, beat fellow defensive end Gaines Adams, the fourth pick, seven times.

And his 40-yard dash (4.68 seconds) was only .03 slower than Adams' time.

"But, you know, my 10-yard dash [1.5] was faster than his [1.6]," said Robison, the Vikings' fourth-round pick. "And, besides, for a defensive end, the first 10 yards is all that matters anyway. Right?"

To describe Robison as competitive doesn't quite cut it. Obsessive might be better.

"I've been in the weight room every day since I was 13, religiously," Robison said. "I always want to outdo the person beside me, so I've always worked to be better than the next person."

Robison was a five-sport star at Splendora High School in Texas. He was a linebacker, running back (11 yards per carry, by the way) and tight end in football; a pitcher in baseball; a center in basketball; a weight man in track and a member of the power-lifting team.

"I could have been a really good pitcher, too, because I was throwing 92 miles per hour when I was a sophomore," Robison said. "And basketball, anything to do with jumping, whether it's rebounding, blocking shots, dunking, I can do it all."

Robison went to the University of Texas as a 249-pound middle linebacker, shot putter and discus thrower. He started four games at middle linebacker as a freshman before being moved to defensive end. His second year at the position, he led the Longhorns in sacks (seven) as Texas won the national championship.

"What's funny is how many people got excited about my 40 time and my vertical jump [40½ inches] at the combine," said Robison, who is now 6-3 and 259 pounds. "I was disappointed. When I was a freshman, I came in about this size running a 4.4. And my vertical was 44."

Although he has made it to the NFL, Robison actually is a better shot putter. He won the Big 12 Conference twice, finished second at the NCAA nationals, set the UT school record (68 feet, 3¾ inches) and notched a personal best of 68-4 ¼ while finishing fourth at the USA Track and Field Outdoor Championships.

"When I threw 68-4¼, it was the 11th-best throw in the world," Robison said. "If I don't even throw another shot, I can still show up at the U.S. Olympic trials next summer. I've already qualified."

The U.S. trials for the 2008 Beijing Olympics are June 26 to July 7 in Eugene, Ore. Training camp doesn't start until late July.

Vikings coach Brad Childress joked that Robison would "have to find another 15 feet" to get time off for the 2008 Games. But Robison's personal best would have been good for fifth place at the 2004 Olympics.

"I'd like to pursue it, but that would be up to the Minnesota Vikings to decide," Robison said. "If they say they don't want me to do it, obviously football is my first love, and that's what I have to go with."

Robison said all the skills he honed as an elite shot putter have helped him on the football field. He left Texas with a school-record six blocked kicks (all field goals) and ranks 12th in tackles for loss (41) despite a senior season that was hampered by pneumonia, a bruised leg and a sprained ankle.

"You have to have quick hips and explode in the shot," Robison said. "It's the same thing when you're coming off the line as a pass rusher. If you don't have speed and explosion to the outside, offensive tackles can sit on you."

Of those eight combine drills, Robison won two and finished in the top three six times. But Childress said Robison's combine numbers had little to do with drafting him.

"The combine is just a real small segment [of the evaluation]," Childress said. "I think you can go to the combine and get mesmerized by people's height, weight, speed, the jumping ability. It has happened to people before. He plays with high intensity on the football field. ... He's a relentless guy, and you know he's got that speed and athleticism to be a world-class track athlete."

Robison already has his hands full trying to help the Vikings. But part of him wonders what he might do without all of his other sports to keep him busy.

"I guess I'll have to find something in the offseason to keep me busy," he said with a laugh. "Maybe since Minnesota took me, I can go out and do some fishing."

Mark Craig • mcraig@startribune.com