When it comes to WR Allen Robinson II, he’s as-advertised. Through two days of Pittsburgh Steelers’ training camp, and obviously it’s still very early, Robinson is looking like the player Pittsburgh hoped they’d get when they acquired him from the Los Angeles Rams.
They needed a sure-handed slot receiver. A veteran route runner who understood how to beat defenses, counter leverage, and find the soft spot. Make the tough grabs over the middle. And be a veteran presence in a young room.
Friday displayed all that Robinson could do. Here’s my notes on him from the team sessions, the full 11 v11 drills that make up the bulk of practice and our daily report.
” – Pickett fires a laser in the back of the end zone, to the right of the field goal posts, and Robinson gets both feet in before stumbling out of the back of the end zone.
– Would-be sack on Pickett but the play continues and Robinson is wide open downfield for a long catch and run. Difficult to ascribe yardage but I’ll give him 30 here.
Pickett hitting Robinson over the middle on a dig route, a nice full extension grab for 11 yards.”
And from the first day of camp, my notes:
“Pickett hits Robinson on a diving, short catch over the middle for a pickup of just 4, Robinson moving right to left.”
That’s how Robinson can, should, and ideally will win in this offense. His job is to do the gritty and dirty work underneath. Running the dig, the crosser, seeing some reps in the red zone as a big body who can set up and create enough space against a defensive back to get open.
In many ways, it’s reminiscent of JuJu Smith-Schuster’s role his final two years with Pittsburgh. Meaning, Robinson won’t have a great yards per carry, in fact it’ll be pretty low, but that suits Robinson better than Smith-Schuster, who has younger and more dynamic than Robinson is at this stage in his career.
George Pickens can provide big plays. Diontae Johnson can provide big plays. Hopefully, Calvin Austin III can as well though the jury’s still out on him. And TE Pat Freiermuth was encouragingly much more of a downfield threat in 2022 than he was as a rookie. Robinson doesn’t need to be that guy. If the opportunity presents itself, he can take advantage, as he did on a busted coverage early in Friday’s practice. But he’s the guy doing all the heavy lifting underneath. Moving the sticks. Keeping the offense on schedule and ahead of the sticks. Robinson looks poised to do all those things.
Kenny Pickett sure seems to vouch for him, telling Peter King that Robinson “sees the field like a quarterback.” It’s no surprise. He’s a veteran guy and brought in because of that. Robinson has played a ton of football with different teams and different roles, beginning his career as an outside and vertical threat before transitioning to more traditional slot work.
He’s the Patrick Peterson of the offense, the wise vet young guys can be mentored by and learn from. Robinson should have a positive impact on camp roommate George Pickens, an uber-talented player rounding out the edges of his game. Robinson brings plenty of life experience. He’s been a first round pick, the #1 target in an offense, the free agent navigating those waters, the guy who had to deal with a bad Rams’ offense, the guy who got hurt, the guy who got traded, the guy who had to accept a lesser role. Robinson’s career has run the gamut from the bottom to the top and there isn’t an experience he hasn’t had. He can relate that to the rest of the room with all those stories, ones that can be told late at night in those Saint Vincent dorms, the true benefit of going away for training camp.
The pads still have to come on. And Robinson won’t be the big-play guy he used to be. He doesn’t have to be. He just needs to keep doing what he’s doing. If so, he’ll be what the Steelers need.
