Jacksonville Jaguars: Allen Robinson Will Be a Top 5 Wide Receiver
There is one wide receiver who currently isn’t the best at his position, but has shown flashes of very high potential and excellence in his short time in the NFL.
By the time the 2016 season is over, Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Allen Robinson will be more than a household name, but a true top star, in fact a Top 5 wide receiver in the NFL if he continues the current path he is traveling with his career.
Robinson, who made the Pro Bowl in his second season, makes the Jaguars’ offense relevant, and he’s a very exciting player to watch when he takes the field. That is something that can’t be said or heard much when it comes to describing players from the Jaguars just a few seasons ago.
The 6-3, 215-pound wide receiver and former second-round selection is just 22 years old, and he’s coming off a season where he caught 80 passes (153 targets) for exactly 1,400 yards and 14 touchdowns, giving him a two-year NFL total of 128 career receptions for 1,948 yards and 16 touchdowns.
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Some might say his ’15 season was his breakout year, but I truly believe he was just scratching the surface of the talent he possesses, and if all goes well for the wide receiver this offseason and in training camp, he can really make his mark on the league this season.
For the ’15 season, Pro Football Focus graded the second-year wideout with a grade of 87.6, the 12th-best receiver in the league.
It also helps Robinson that he has another young receiver, Allen Hurns, playing opposite of him, making them one of the top duos in the entire NFL. Add quarterback Blake Bortles, who is also progressing with Robinson, and that makes for a very dangerous trio.
Greg Cosell of NFL Films was quoted by Jaguars.com about how Robinson helped the progression of Bortles last season:
"“He caught a ton of 50-50 balls,” Cosell said of Robinson, “and Bortles clearly got very comfortable throwing it to him when he was the single receiver. Bortles felt very comfortable throwing it up to Allen Robinson, and there’s nothing wrong with that. …”"
Robinson makes his quarterback and team look better, and like Cosell said, there isn’t anything wrong with that, but making quarterbacks look good is something Robinson has done at the collegiate level as well.
Want proof? Here is some video of Robinson and Hackenberg as a duo.
Look the the numbers he had with Christian Hackenberg at Penn State in his final season. Robinson totaled 97 receptions in 12 games during the ’13 season, where he totaled 1,432 yards and six touchdowns. He averaged 14.8 yards per catch. Hackenberg didn’t have as much success without Robinson to throw to at the collegiate level.
That season was the best of Hackenberg’s PSU career, and a lot of the success the former PSU quarterback had was due to the play of Robinson.
Now there is the case of fantasy football when it comes to Robinson, and that’s another reason he’ll become even more of a household name for fans all over. He is now a Top 10 wide receiver in all versions of fantasy football, and with the way the Jaguars like to throw the football, he’s a must-have on a roster.
Dynasty League Football has Robinson as the No. 5 wide receiver in their current rankings.
Robinson was one of three players to lead the NFL with 14 receiving touchdowns, and was sixth overall last year in receiving in the NFL with the aforementioned 1,400 yards. He was also the eighth-most targeted receiver with 153 targets by his quarterback, with the top-targeted receiver being Julio Jones of the Atlanta Falcons with 204 targets.
More nfl spin zone: Hurns, Robinson make for great duo
The Jaguars receiver also had 31 receptions of 20-plus yards, leading the NFL in that category with . Jones and Antonio Brown were tied for second with 25.
I’m not saying Robinson will overtake Jones or Brown as the top receiver in the entire NFL, but what I am saying is every fan of the league, casual to fanatic, will know who Robinson is throughout the upcoming NFL season.
If he continues to progress, we can look forward to a very exciting journey.