Onward we go with our 2014 NFL Draft profiles and scouting reports of players that might interest the Pittsburgh Steelers. Today we will have a look at Penn State wide receiver Allen Robinson, an underclassman that has now declared for the draft.
Allen Robinson/WR Penn State: 6’3 205
The Good
Reliable on screens
Comes back for the ball well
Great vision after the catch
Gets separation in short areas
Strong hands when he uses them
Hard to find drops
Willing blocker
The Bad
Doesn’t always use his size to his advantage
Not always under control
Not a burner
Has problems getting separation on deep routes at times
Tends to want to body catch too much
No consistent red zone production
Upright too often and tips off break down
Other
Richter-Howard Receiver of the Year (2012, 2013)
First Team All Big Ten (2012, 2013)
All-American (2013)
Biletnikoff Award semifinalists (2013
There are a lot of things to like about Robinson, who led the Big Ten in both receptions and receiving yardage. The thing that jumps out most about him is his size, which in my opinion, he doesn’t always use to his advantage.
Robinson is not a burner and not known to be a deep vertical threat as a result. He does, however have sneaky speed off the line and general gets good separation on quick slants and crossing routes. Robinson shows the ability to work back to the football and it’s hard to find him dropping many passes. He does, however, use his body to catch a lot more than he probably should and doesn’t always rely on his strong hands and wingspan.
Penn State used Robinson quite a bit of wide receiver screens and thus a good portion of Robinson’s catches came within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage. That being said, he still had a robust 14.8 yards per catch average as he possesses good vision with the ball in his hands out in space.
Robinson likes to run too upright at times and his route running needs work. He will tend to break down too early and tips off his route by slowing down instead of getting into his break at full speed. This is not uncommon for young wide receivers. At times, I noticed him not being in full control in his routes as his footwork and balance becomes uneven.
While he did have a handful of WOW catches, I really was expecting more. I count 18 receptions in 2013 of 20 yards or more and I am willing to bet a good deal of those were screens or slants and not catches 20 yards past the line of scrimmage. It should also be noted that he only had one red zone touchdown catch in 2013. A player with his size should obviously have more. He is a willing blocking blocker, but doesn’t give maximum effort all the time when doing it.
The above started off as a screen that looked like it was going to be blown up. Robinson, however turned it into a touchdown and showed his great open field vision in the process.
Good separation on the crossing route but the leap really wasn’t needed. Wasn’t the cleanest catch, either, and as a result the play didn’t end with yardage after the catch.
Nice route and separation but again the jump is not needed. He fights the ball all the way in and it results in a drop.
This is a little better and he gets turned and up the field quickly.
Finally a play where he is forced to use his size and his strong hands. A rare red zone touchdown for him.
Here, he stopped running too soon and didn’t properly judge the flight of the football. This should have been an uncontested catch.
Ending on a positive note, this is perhaps my favorite route and catch of his of the tape I watched. Full speed into his break and a great stop and comeback. He used his hands to catch the ball and moved the chains.
Robinson was easily the best player that Penn State had last season and he was targeted 150 times in total, according to raw play by play stats. He will likely be anywhere from the fifth to seventh wide receiver drafted so that puts him likely being drafted somewhere in the second round. I really view him as possession receiver that will likely be used initially as a third wide receiver by whatever team drafts him. He has a lot of rough edges that need to be cleaned up, but the talent appears to be there.
Projection: Top Fifty
Games Watched: at Ohio St, vs UCF, vs Nebraska
