The New York Giants appear determined to make more of Wan’Dale Robinson’s multi-faceted talents. At least based on how often the third-year wide receiver is moving into different positions during OTAs.
Robinson was seen “lined up in the backfield and out wide, as the Giants continued to move the slot receiver around the field,” at practice on Thursday, May 30, according to Dan Duggan of The Athletic.
This is the time of year teams and coaches indulge every whim and throw every idea at the board to see what sticks. Yet, it’s still a good sign the Giants are getting creative with Robinson.
Especially when the 23-year-old is rated as one of the “top triple-threat receivers in the NFL,” by Mason Cameron of Pro Football Focus. It’s a criteria based on manufacturing separation, winning contested catches and amassing yards whenever you get the ball.
Robinson ticks every box, according to Cameron: “Of the six receivers to qualify for this list, Robinson leads the bunch in open-target rate (94.7%) and contested catch rate (80%), placing in the 94th percentile or greater in each facet. Understandably, coverage units had trouble matching up with Robinson’s route-running ability, so contested targets were seldom (just five), but he finished those at a high clip, with only one resulting in an incompletion.”
Finding more ways to get Robinson involved will be crucial for the Giants. He’s a quarterback-friendly target who can make life easier for struggling signal-caller Daniel Jones.
Robinson should also exploit underneath passing lanes opened by overstretched defenses trying to stay with the vertical speed of the Giants’ top pick Malik Nabers, the sixth player taken in the 2024 NFL draft.
Wan’Dale Robinson Needs More Varied Workload
Unleashing Robinson in a myriad of ways shouldn’t be a problem for the Giants. Not when No. 17 is already a roving, dual-threat playmaker.
Robinson can beat coverage on the perimeter or from the slot. Quick, multiple moves out of his breaks make Robinson difficult to track, while the former Kentucky standout is a demon after the catch.
Those qualities showed up on this grab against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 17, highlighted by CBS Sports’ Dan Schneier. Robinson motioned to the outside before giving his QB an easy target underneath.
I’m excited about Wan’Dale Robinson’s future with the #Giants and plays like this are part of the reason why.
Love how little wasted movement there is for 17 getting out of his break & then he has so much juice transitioning from catch to YAC.
He’s got that bounce.
Turning a short throw into a bigger gain is Robinson’s speciality. He averaged 5.5 yards after catch per reception as a rookie in 2022 and 4.8 last season, per Pro Football Reference.
Plays like this are also only possible when Robinson is moved around to manipulate coverage and create favorable matchups. Doing the latter can also extend to using the receiver as a bigger part of a revamped running game.
Giants’ Running Game Needs Wan’Dale Robinson
It’s been all change for the Giants in the backfield this offseason. Seeing Saquon Barkley join NFC East rivals the Philadelphia Eagles in free agency robbed Big Blue of a true workhorse.
Barkley was a complete back who could batter defenses between the tackles. Reserve Gary Brightwell could do the same, but the Giants recently waived the potential short-yardage specialist.
Those moves leave the Giants reliant on speed in the running game. Veteran Devin Singletary, second-year pro Eric Gray and rookies Tyrone Tracy Jr. and Dante Miller all share this key quality.
More carries for Robinson would give defenses another swift and elusive runner to try and stop. Giants’ head coach Brian Daboll and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka know how to get Robinson involved in the ground attack.
One of their best methods was this Wildcat formation against the Green Bay Packers in Week 14, broken down by Bobby Skinner of Talkin’ Giants.
Breaking down the Giants going back to “Bash QB Counter” but out of Wildcat for a 32 yard Wan’Dale Robinson run
More plays designs like this will keep defenses guessing trying to find Robinson and identify what he’ll do post snap. That confusion should lead to bigger plays in both phases for an underrated player who is potentially the Giants most-valuable weapon, even after the arrival of Nabers.
