The New York Giants selected Kentucky wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson with the 43rd overall pick in this year’s NFL draft. Many felt they would seek to add a playmaker in this draft but few (if any) predicted they would take Robinson and even fewer had him pegged to go in the second round.
The Giants want to surround quarterback Daniel Jones with as many playmakers as they can as he enters a ‘prove-it’ season.
Robinson is a dynamic player, a ‘jack-of-all-trades’ so to speak, and there are doubts about his size (5’8″, 178) and his ability to lift up a receiving corps that contains an underachieving Kenny Golladay, the inconsistent rookie Kadarius Toney and oft-injured veteran Sterling Shepard.
Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report has listed Robinson as one of his players “who won’t live up to the hype in 2022.”
Knox writes that Robinson “may be a couple of years away from being a star” and that the offense installed by new head coach Brian Daboll could take some time to kick in as it did in his previous stop in Buffalo behind quarterback Josh Allen.
The 2021 Bills ranked fifth in total offense with Allen leading the charge. In Daboll’s three previous offensive coordinator stops—with the 2010 Browns, 2011 Dolphins and 2012 Chiefs—his offenses ranked 29th, 22nd and 24th, respectively. Daniel Jones is not Allen, and New York should expect a more middle-of-the-pack offense than an elite one.
It’s going to take time for the Giants offense to really come together. It’s going to take time for Robinson to carve out a significant role. It all adds up to an underwhelming rookie campaign for New York’s second-round selection.
In addition, Knox points out that Robinson will have to fight for playing time and touches. That alone will make it difficult for him to stand out. The Giants are expected to throw the football short often, mainly to backs and tight ends, so that makes Robinson’s challenge just that much harder.
