20/20: Wan’Dale Robinson, WR Kentucky
Welcome to the 20/20 series. As part of our continued Dynasty Scouts coverage and in preparation for the NFL Combine, we profile 20 of the top incoming rookies of the class of 2022 by giving you 20 facts you must know.
1.) Player Name: Wan’Dale Robinson
2.) College: Kentucky Wildcats
3.) Height/Weight: 5’10’’ and 185 pounds
4.) Birthdate: January 15, 2001 (21)
5.) Class: Junior
6.) Basic College stats:
Courtesy of Sports Reference.
Robinson started his collegiate career at Nebraska. During his freshman year, he caught 40 passes for 453 yards and two touchdowns while owning a 17.76 percent market share of the team’s passing offense. He also ran the ball 88 times for 340 yards and three touchdowns. His best game of the season came against Northwestern where he rushed for 44 yards and one touchdown while also catching seven passes for 123 yards.
In eight games during his sophomore season, we saw Robinson increase his production in the passing game. This was his breakout season considering he managed to own a 30.31 percent market share of Nebraska’s passing production. He also hit 2.01 yards per team pass attempt. Robinson recorded five or more receptions in every game except for one.
Going into his junior season, he decided to enter the transfer portal and sign with the Kentucky Wildcats. Transferring out of Nebraska proved to be the right decision for Robinson. He caught 104 balls for 1,334 yards and seven touchdowns. He was one out of six collegiate receivers to surpass 100 receptions. He also ranked 11th in the nation in receiving yardage. His blowup season put the nation on notice as he owned a 43.11 percent market share of Kentucky’s passing production along with posting 3.64 yards per team pass attempt. The junior wide receiver surpassed the 100-yard-mark six times.
7.) NFL Draft round projection:
Courtesy of Mock Draft Database.
Robinson is routinely getting mocked in the second round of drafts. This seems very realistic and makes a lot of sense. The odds of him sneaking into the first round are stacked against him. His dynamic speed and production make it hard to envision him sliding past the third round. We should be very comfortable saying Robinson will be a day two pick in this year’s draft.
8.) Current NFL comp: Robinson is very comparable to Brandin Cooks. Both receivers play bigger than their size. They are assertive at the catch points. They can both create separation with their short-area quickness and change of direction skills. Just like Cooks, we should see Robinson stretch the field at the next level.
9.) Best possible destination: The Chargers is the best destination for most wide receivers. Justin Herbert is one of the best young quarterbacks in the league. Keenan Allen isn’t getting any younger. Mike Williams will be testing the free-agent waters. This is a dream destination for a rookie wide receiver who is ready to produce early in their career.
10.) Worst possible destination: Cleveland might be the worst possible destination for all wide receivers in the NFL. It’s a slow low volume passing offense. They are struggling with their passing game. There’s a good chance they might be transitioning to a new quarterback sooner than later. After considering what we saw from Odell Beckham’s situation, the organization might be dicier than what we realize.
11.) Best current skills: His best current skill is his ability to create separation downfield with his short-area quickness and his change of direction skills. Robinson moves laterally very well and is tough to cover. These skills also help him to pick up extra yards after the catch.
12.) Skill that needs to be improved: Robinson is naturally gifted with great footwork and short-area quickness. If he can improve his ability to sell his routes before his break, then he might be able to blossom into a very productive wide receiver. He has an understanding of attacking his opponent’s leverage and knows how to use jab steps and other techniques to sell his breaks. He just needs to be more consistent.
13.) Current rookie value: Per DLF’s Rookie Rankings, Robinson is being ranked as the WR7 in the class. Overall, he is being ranked as the 18th player off the board. After conducting a few mock drafts, Robinson tends to fall to the middle of the second round of superflex drafts around the 2.5 to 2.11 range.
14.) Projected dynasty value: Considering his age, college production and he’s more than likely going to be a second-round pick in the NFL Draft, Robinson will be a top-100 pick in startup drafts this summer. From there, his production will dictate his player value in dynasty. If he’s productive or flashes some of his talents, then his value should increase during his rookie season. On the contrary, if he struggles to see the field and plays poorly during limited opportunities, then we might see his value significantly decrease.
15.) As a recruit: While coming out of high school Robinson was rated as a four-star recruit. 247Sports had him rated as the top all-purpose back in the 2019 recruiting class. He received offers from at least 19 different schools before signing with Nebraska. Some of the schools that were interested in him were Alabama, Ohio State, Michigan, and Kentucky.
16.) Why he transferred: Robinson decided to transfer to a school closer to his hometown so he could be closer to his family during the pandemic. His hometown is approximately 36 minutes from the University of Kentucky.
17.) Height Gate:
Depending on where you look, Robinson is listed anywhere between 5-foot-10 and 5-foot-11. Coming out of high school on his 247Sports recruiting page, he was listed at 5-foot-9. However, when you analyze the picture of him standing next to Rondale Moore who measured at 5-foot-7, you will notice the difference between the two players in height is minimal.
When you judge him next to Nick Saban who is listed at 5-foot-6, you will notice the difference between them are also minimal. The accuracy of Saban actually being 5-foot-6 is negligible considering he doesn’t seem like the type of person to share his measurements openly to the public.
18.) Advanced Metrics: Per Pro Football Focus, Robinson averaged 3.44 yards per route ran and averaged 5.8 yards after the catch per reception. His quarterbacks posted a 103.4 QB rating when targeting him and he had a 53.3 percent contested catch rate. In his career, he has averaged 2.77 yards per route run and 6.5 yards after the catch per reception. He has also forced a total of 35 missed tackles throughout his three-year collegiate career.
19) Market Share Dandy:
Robinson almost broke out during his freshman season at Nebraska – he was just a few percentage points away from hitting a 20 percent market share. He did hit 1.4 yards per team pass attempt which ranks fourth-best among wide receivers during their age-18 season who are also in this year’s draft class. He also rushed for 340 yards and two touchdowns.
He officially broke out during his age-19 season by owning a 30.31 percent market share of Nebraska’s passing production. Robinson also had 2.01 yards per team pass attempt. There are only three wide receivers in this year’s class who surpassed 2.0 yards per team pass attempt at age-19. The other two wide receivers are David Bell (2.39) and Chris Olave (2.09).
As we all know, Robinson transferred to Kentucky for his final season. He initially broke out there with a 43.11 percent market share, making him an interesting case since he is one of the few players who managed to break out with two collegiate programs.
Robinson hit 3.64 yards per team pass attempt. The highest among all wide receivers in this year’s draft class. The next best season was by Jalen Tolbert who achieved a 3.62 yards per team pass attempt at age 22. Treylon Burks and Skyy Moore both surpassed 3.5 yards per team pass attempt at age 21.
20.) High School Stats: Robinson was a very productive running back during his tenure at Western Hills High School. During his career, he rushed for 6,795 yards and 97 touchdowns. He rushed for over 2,000 yards in both his sophomore and junior seasons. He was 27 yards away from hitting the 2000-yard mark during his senior.
He was also very involved in the passing game. Robinson caught 102 passes for 1,787 yards and 21 touchdowns during his career. His most productive season as a receiver was during his senior season in 2018 when he caught 31 balls for 725 yards and 11 touchdowns.
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