In my weekly column, we take a long look at impact fantasy football rookies. I compare their performance to date against my original expectations of them. Let’s continue this 2014 version of the series by looking at one of the most widely 
disputed rookie wide receivers in Allen Robinson. I will look at some of his college production against his performance versus the Bengals to dissect his dynasty value.
These are my thoughts after watching him in college: The first thing I noticed is that if Robinson isn’t the primary target he loses interest quickly and is not very effective as a run blocker. His stance on the line of scrimmage tended to let his coverage know his route before he ran it. The wide out has to get off the line of scrimmage the same way, every time. He looks fantastic when his quarterback can find him in stride, but that did not happen often many times due to the signal caller play. To make matters worse, Robinson did a lot of body catching and showed lapses of concentration. The wide out would make an amazing catch on one play, and then fight his hands an easy pass on the very next play.
Robinson has good initial separation off the line of scrimmage using his burst and explosion adjusting his hips quickly. In the bubble screen game, the receiver reads blockers well and makes the defense miss. He is very physical, even willing to knock over one of his offensive lineman trying to picking up extra yardage. The wide out is better in open space, but willing to take punishment in the middle of the field, even with double coverage. Robinson uses good balance and spin moves to get out of trouble when defenders try to tackle him too high. He is a physical player who can make difficult contested catches with a defensive back draped over him. By using a stiff-arm, the receiver keeps defenders off his body and fools them up with a shoulder shake or stutter step when changing directions. The wide out has the open field skills to get used on reverses and misdirection.
The young receiver is a great downfield threat. Because most wide outs can sell a double move or two to create separation, Robinson is very impressive by selling up to four moves which confuses most hardened defensive backs. He fully extends himself to make difficult catches and has a big catch radius. Robinson has good jumping ability and catching the ball at its highest point, shielding it from the defense. The wide out twists himself finding the ball in the air despite tight coverage. He uses the sidelines to his advantage and made a habit to bring both feet in bounds despite only one foot being required in the college game.
Here is what he showed against the Bengals: Allen Hurns seemed to be the wide receiver of choice versus Robinson. The wide out lined up usually on the single receiver side, usually with some safety help over the top. His first target was a badly thrown Blake Bortles pass that the receiver had to knock out of the cornerback’s hands to prevent an interception. When Robinson got the taller throws, he catches the ball at its highest point, spins away from contact, and protects the ball. There were a few passes that the receiver let into his body. While Robinson caught the pigskin on those occasions, it is always a dangerous proposition to let the ball rattle around while securing it. The lack of hands catching also prevents him from making the reception in stride, which limits his ability to gain additional yardage. Robinson does a good job shielding the ball from the defender and is willing to grab it in traffic without regard to his body. The wide out dove for a worm burner, but could not get his hands underneath it. I did see more of an effort in his run blocking and getting in the defenses way once the ball got caught. It was clear to me that he is the most talented receiver on the Jacksonville team despite the lack of targets. I would consider him a dynasty WR3 that could grow into more once the Jaguars offensive line has a chance to gel.
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