For Allen Robinson II, he’s right in the middle. Figuratively and literally. The Pittsburgh Steelers’ expected slot receiver this season, he’ll be sandwiched between fellow wideouts Diontae Johnson and George Pickens. From a skill set perspective, he sees himself as a blend of the two, making for a varied and effective wide receiver room.
Robinson spoke with reporters ahead of Friday’s practice to discuss the wide receiver dynamic.
“I feel like we all have different playing styles,” he said as tweeted by The Trib’s Chris Adamski. “All a little bit different size. For us, we complement each other very well. Tay is super quick, George is a bigger dude who can do a little bit of everything. Same with myself, being able to play inside, being able to play outside. For us, with our different skill sets, we have some similarities, but we have some differences that complement each other.”
Robinson was a surprise acquisition, traded over from the Los Angeles Rams in the offseason. Pittsburgh gave up little to get him, a seventh-round pick swap while taking on just a portion of Robinson’s salary to make the trade happen. Last season, the Steelers had scant production out of the slot between Chase Claypool, Gunner Olszewski, and Steven Sims. Robinson will hopefully boost that, a crafty veteran receiver who can beat underneath zone and become a red zone threat. He won’t be exclusive to the slot, moving around the offense, but should primarily work there.
As he notes, Johnson will be the team’s X-receiver, one who wins with quickness and top-end route running. Pickens is the team’s Z-receiver, the jump ball deep threat. Robinson is something in the middle, possessing similar size to Pickens and some of the nuanced route running of Johnson, though Johnson is obviously quicker and sharper out of cuts.
What Robinson can bring best of all is his leadership. He’s already roommates with Pickens, taking a second-year player under his wing. In past years, the team has had mentors who weren’t stars like Darrius Heyward-Bey and Jerricho Cotchery. The Steelers had talent in their receiver room but lacked a leader. Robinson should fill that role while contributing on the field.
