2014 NFL Mock Draft: The Ultimate 8 Part 3 (21-28)

Nov 17, 2012; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions wide receiver Allen Robinson (8) runs with the ball after a catch in front of Indiana Hoosiers defensive tackle Larry Black Jr. (97) during the second quarter at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

Overall Player Evaluation
Even with the whole Sandusky scandal taking away the national spotlight from the Penn State Nittany Lions, Allen Robinson has been one of the Lions brightest spots since the day he walked on as a true freshman in 2011. Out of the great state of Michigan, Robinson was “instrumental in leading Orchard Lake St. Mary’s Prep to the Michigan Division 3 state championship game,” according to Penn State’s website. As well, Robinson caught 44 passes for 720 yards and scored 10 touchdowns and returned two punts for touchdowns and intercepted two passes as a senior. With that in mind,Penn State fans had high hopes for Robinson going into his freshman season, however due to already existing talent on the Nittany Lions’ roster, Robinson was only able to catch only three passes for 29 yards.

His sophomore season looked bleak indeed, until a string of transfers and a team dismissal allowed Robinson to suddenly be given the starting nod and the opportunity to make a name for himself as the stand alone Penn State wide out. In his junior season, Robinson took every opportunity he could to play his very best, catching a solid 77 passes for 1,018 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2012. In games against ranked opponents such as Northwestern, Ohio State and Nebraska, Robinson was able to average 83.3 yards on 6.6 receptions per game along with two touchdowns against Northwestern. According to PSU’s team site, at the end of the season, Robinson was eventually selected the Big Ten Richter-Howard Receiver-of-the-Year and first-team All-Big Ten by the coaches, media, BTN.com and ESPN.com. A Biletnikoff Award candidate,[Robinson] broke the Penn State season receptions record with 77 catches, shattering the previous mark of 63 shared by All-Americans O.J. McDuffie (1992) and Bobby Engram (1995).” After such a great performance his sophomore season, many thought it would be impossible for Robinson to do any better, however in his junior season, Robinson absolutely exploded with offensive talent, giving Penn State it’s greatest receiving effort in it’s long history.

In his last and final season at Penn State, Allen Robinson performed at an unbelievable level at the receiver position, catching 97 passes for 1,432 yards and six touchdowns. What was incredible about Robinson’s season was that he was able to play at such a high level, every.single.game. For instance through the first eight games of the season, Robinson was able to tally over 100 yards all but two times. Over the entire season, Robinson recorded nine games of 98 receiving yards or higher. Although Robinson didn’t catch as many touchdowns in his junior season as he did during his sophomore season, he was able to catch for over 400 more yards and 20 more receptions than his sophomore season.

When looking at his overall draft appeal, Robinson looks to be one of the stronger picks in the draft, going low first round, high second round at least. While Robinson may not be the fastest receiver out there (4.6 40-yard dash time), his physical size to go up and catch passes, strength to leave tacklers in his wake and subtle acceleration to catch corners off guard, make him a great receiver. Panthers may not realize it now, but Robinson could pay huge dividends for them in the long run. If the Newton-Robinson connection gets hooked up, the NFC South best watch out.

Film Analysis vs. UCF (brought to you by draftbreakdown.com)
Setting: College Park, Pennsylvania. September 14th, 2013.

Overall during the game, Robinson was able to catch 9 passes for 143 yards and a touchdown even against the defense of #10 ranked UCF. On his first catch from scrimmage, Robinson came across the field, caught the football, then speedily went up the sidelines, juking out a defender before being forced out after a huge gain. On many plays throughout the game, Robinson was able to be a valuable force not only going medium to medium-long range for passes, but also catching some WR screens and taking them down 20 or 30 yards, shaking off some tacklers along the way. On a second-and-three play in the third quarter was when Robinson really flashed some of his NFL-quality talent, making an amazing triple move on two UCF defenders and catching a deep bomb from QB Hackenberg.

Perhaps Robinson’s best play of the night was on a fade route to the left side of the end zone where Robinson was forced to fight off defensive pass interference and leap up and make an outstanding catch, using his soft hands to possess the ball all the way through and still get both feet in bounds for a clutch touchdown. Anybody with the same range of motion displayed by Robinson on that play must be outlawed or a clone of Allen Robinson himself. What Robinson showed in his game against UCF was 1). his ability to shake off defenders with his physical playing style and 2). his leaping abilities and his ability to make clutch, sideline catches even with a defender in your face.

Why He Fits in with the Panthers
Cam Newton for two seasons has been showing his NFL critics that he can be one of the most dynamic quarterbacks in the league. This season the Panthers Super Bowl hopes were dashed early in the playoffs as the San Francisco 49ers came into Carolina and beat the Panthers at their own game. During the season, the Panthers on offense weren’t that great (contrary to the scoreboard). Although their defense did almost win them a championship, their offense should have stepped it up big time. One of the reasons why Cam Newton and the Panthers only averaged 190.2 passing yards per game thsi season (4th worst in the league) was because Cam Newton’s only targets were either graybeard Steve Smith or red zone threat TE Greg Olsen. Other than those two receivers, Newton didn’t really have that much to work with in terms of receivers in 2013. Reason why Robinson works so well is because he wouldn’t be changing uniforms all that much (transition from dark blue to light blue and white on white) and because he is a physical presence in the red zone and also a great, explosive medium-long route runner. Hopefully next season, with Newton playing inside the pocket and throwing the ball safely and accurately, the Panthers will make it to the NFC Championship game like they deserve.