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The Carolina Panthers have selected safety Kenny Robinson with the 152nd (Round 5, Pick 6) overall pick in the NFL Draft.
Robinson spent his first two years of college at West Virginia, playing 25 games with 20 starts, and was named first-team All-Big 12 in 2018, but he was kicked out due to academic misconduct following his sophomore year.
He was drafted by the XFL's St. Louis Battlehawks in 2019 and had 21 tackles, two interceptions, and a sack in five games.
Robinson is the fifth-straight defensive player the Panthers have chosen this draft and the second safety.
He becomes the first player in NFL history to be drafted after playing in college and then the XFL and is the third XFL player Carolina has added this offseason.
"I have no problem admitting it. I cheated. I got caught. I made a stupid decision, and I don’t have any excuses," he wrote. "I had the opportunity to do the right thing, and I chose to do the wrong thing. That’s it. I own that."
Robinson continued, saying the XFL prepared him even more for the NFL.
"The mistake I made at West Virginia that changed my entire life was a learning experience. A growing experience," Robinson wrote. "I had to take ownership of my mistake and deal with the consequences by taking my future into my own hands and carving my own path. So just like I have no doubt that I’m ready physically to compete at the highest level, I also believe I’m prepared mentally."