Big Ten Prospects: Allen Robinson and Jared Abbrederis

Dan Meylor

I’m a Big Ten football fan.  Actually, I’m a Wisconsin fan, as many of you know from my article on Montee Ball in April.  So I guess technically I can’t be a fan of the entire conference, but I can be a Big Ten follower.

Because I’m only interested in the Big Ten, I really don’t watch the other major college conferences.  When the Badgers aren’t on, I’d much rather watch Iowa take on Northwestern than any ranked matchup from the SEC, ACC, Big 12, PAC-12 or any other conference in the country.  In fact, if my memory (and my notes from the season) serve me right, of all the games I watched this year, only a couple didn’t feature a Big Ten school.

There are negatives to being so committed to watching one conference.  The biggest being that when it comes to scouting all the draft eligible college football players as a whole, I’m way behind at this point in the process and certainly not qualified to give an informed opinion on most of them.

The one positive is that I’m more than qualified to share my thoughts about the players making the leap to the pros from my favorite conference.  Over the next couple weeks I’ll be doing just that.  To start off, let’s cover a couple wide receivers.

Allen Robinson, WR PSU

allen_robinsonI’ll admit, before last season I’d never heard of Robinson.  In my defense, he caught only three passes for 29 yards as a true freshman.  Then, he burst onto the scene in 2012, catching 77 passes for 1,018 yards and 11 touchdowns as a sophomore.  He capped off the season by winning the Big Ten Richter-Howard Receiver-of-the-year award and being named first team All-Big Ten.

In 2013, he took things to another level.  He hauled in 97 passes for 1,432 yards and six touchdowns.  In the 12 games the Nittany Lions played, he caught at least seven passes in all but two and had eight 100-yard games (and another with 98 receiving yards.)  Once again, he won the Richter-Howard Receiver-of-the-year award but didn’t stop at being named All-Big Ten.  He earned seven All-American honors as a junior including being named to the first team by CBSSports.com and the Sporting News and was also named as a semifinalist for the 2013 Biletnikoff Award.

As a pro prospect, Robinson is my favorite the Big Ten has to offer. He was successful despite defenses tirelessly trying to stop him in 2013.  Constantly double teamed, he always drew the best corner his opponent had to offer, yet he always came through despite the attention he garnered.

The best part of Robinson’s game has to be his hands.  I watched him play at least seven times over the last two years and didn’t see him drop a pass to my recollection.  I also never saw him let the ball get to his body, always catching the ball with his hands.  Like most great receivers, he consistently showed excellent body control and always caught the ball at its highest point while trying to catch an inaccurate pass, which happened often this season with freshman Christian Hackenberg at quarterback.

Another area Robinson excels in is in the screen game.  He was used often on bubble screens and was excellent after the catch – plays that reminded me on more than one occasion of Demaryius Thomas after catching the wide receiver screen from Peyton Manning.  His longest reception of the season was a 65-yard quick pass in the right flat against Ohio State, where he immediately reversed field against the over-pursuing defense, and weaved through tacklers for a score.

Robinson was often used as a slot receiver in college, but has the size (6’3, 210 pounds) to be a consistent playmaker on the outside at the next level.  He’s a good route runner, handles himself well around the sideline and has proven to be a great target around the goal line.

If there’s a weakness in Robinson’s game, it’s probably his straight line speed.  Many expect him to run the 40-yard dash in 4.5 to 4.6 seconds at the combine.  While he’s not a burner, he’s more than fast enough to become a number one NFL wideout.  Another issue that has been brought up by some is ball security.  I only saw him fumble once (against Michigan) and I still think he was down before the ball came out.

Some also question his low touchdown total this year.  Those who do, obviously didn’t see the Nittany Lions play much in 2013.  He was constantly underthrown on deep routes, forcing him to slow down to make the catch and giving defenders time to make up ground and make the tackle.  If he’s proven anything to me over the last two seasons, it’s that he can be a playmaker in the red zone.  He simply didn’t play with a consistent enough quarterback to take advantage of all his skills this past season.

The more I watch Robinson, (who’s easily my favorite dynasty prospect out of the Big Ten this year), the more I like him.  He should be picked in the first round of the NFL draft, as well as dynasty drafts, and develop into a very good number one receiver for an NFL team and potentially a WR1 for dynasty owners.

2013 Games watched: Syracuse, Michigan, @ Ohio State, Illinois, @ Wisconsin

Jared Abbrederis, WR WISC

If you haven’t seen Abbrederis play, you should.  He’s pretty good.

Abbrederis originally arrived in Madison as a walk-on.  He was a scout team quarterback his first year on campus but saw some playing time as a redshirt freshman.  He caught 20 passes for 289 yards and three touchdowns in 2010. He then broke out when Russell Wilson arrived at Wisconsin in 2011.  Abbrederis led the team in receiving yards with 933 on 55 catches.  He also hauled in eight touchdowns, all while finishing third in the country, averaging 15.8 yards per punt return as a redshirt sophomore. Over the next two seasons, Abbrederis was the main receiving threat for the Badgers, catching 127 passes for 1,918 yards and 12 touchdowns.  Along with Robinson, he was named as a first-team All-Big Ten wide receiver at the end of both seasons.  In his final season at Wisconsin, Abbrederis was the only wide receiver the Badgers could count on.  He caught 78 passes as a senior.  The rest of the wide outs on the roster combined for just 30 receptions.  Although he benefited from a very strong running game, he always faced the oppositions best cover man and consistently made plays despite the defense keying on him.

Abbrederis’ biggest quality is his route running and technique.  He’s excellent out of his breaks, particularly when running out-routes and when coming back to the quarterback, and constantly finds the open spot in zone coverage.  Most receivers get open with quick feet and by wasting very little motion in their hips at the top of routes, which Abbrederis also does well, but he also uses a convincing head fake when making his breaks, helping him get open on a consistent basis.

The Badgers’ coaching staff moved Abbrederis around the formation often in an attempt to get him matched up against different defenders.  He played in the slot, as well as out wide, but excelled when working outside the numbers.  Many have suggested that he’ll be forced to play inside at the next level due to his quick feet, solid route running and relatively small stature, but that shouldn’t be the case.

Although many remember him for the big plays he made in the play-action game, much of Abbrederis’ damage was done after the catch in college, often being called upon to run drag and crossing routes.  He’s not the biggest receiver (he’s listed at 6’2″, 190 pounds), but consistently brakes tackles by defensive backs.  He also has a nose for the first down marker, rarely running a route short of the sticks.

At the end of the day, Abbrederis isn’t going to wow anybody with his size, speed or ability to jump over defenders like Calvin Johnson.  He’s going to be consistent in every facet of the game, give 100% at all times and always make the smart play.

Overall, I think Abbrederis has a bright future in the NFL.  Some have questioned whether he’ll be drafted, but I have an extremely hard time believing that after watching him for four seasons.  I believe he should be selected between round three and five and will likely start his career as a third or fourth NFL wide receiver.  Dynasty owners in deep enough leagues to stash players for a couple years should keep a close eye on where he ends up.  He’s a smart player with very reliable hands that works hard and wants to be a starting NFL wide receiver.  His upside is most likely as a number two NFL wide out, but I wouldn’t bet against him to do just that.

2013 Games watched: All of them

Look for my thoughts on Ohio State running back Carlos Hyde and Iowa tight end C.J. Fiedorowicz in the coming days and be sure to follow me on Twitter @dmeylor22.

dan meylor