Dec 28, 2021; Birmingham, Alabama, USA; Auburn Tigers wide receiver Demetris Robertson (0) leads his team onto the field prior to the 2021 Birmingham Bowl against Houston Cougars at Protective Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports — © Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports

Four potential landing spots for Demetris Robertson

Could the former Auburn Tiger hear his name this weekend during the NFL Draft?

Author:
Ridge Lindsey
Publish date:
Apr 26, 2022 10:14 AM EDT

In this story:

This past year, Demetris Robertson had a slightly underwhelming season with the Auburn Tigers.

Robertson, a former 5-star recruit, had an outstanding freshman season at California but never could match that production again. At Auburn, Robertson’s main issues were dropped passes and the inability to get separation against man coverage. Both are skills necessary to have success at the next level. However, Robertson showed some flashes of being a great college receiver.

He has excellent speed and showed this and his big-play potential when he got behind the secondary and caught a 71-yard strike from Bo Nix at Arkansas, but the challenge for Robertson will be whether he can put it all together in an NFL training camp.

Here are four potential landing spots for Robertson.

NFL Roster:

NFL in-season rosters have 53 spots on them. It will be an uphill battle for Robertson to make a roster, but it is possible. Unfortunately, Robertson will likely not be drafted in the upcoming NFL draft, so this leaves a big challenge for Robertson to make a 53-man roster. Crazier things have happened, but I do not like his chances.

NFL Practice Squad:

Auburn Tigers wide receiver Demetris Robertson (0) carries the ball against Georgia at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala., on Saturday, Oct. 9, 2021. Auga07 — © Jake Crandall / USA TODAY NETWORK

Every NFL team has a 16-man practice squad that is not allowed to dress out for their games. Therefore, Robertson may end up on a practice squad for a team. Since it is only 16 players per team and a vast market of players, the NFL practice squad seems like a slightly unlikely destination for Robertson but a possibility.

USFL:

Auburn Tigers wide receiver Demetris Robertson (0) returns a punt at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala., on Saturday, Sept. 4, 2021. Auburn Tigers defeats Akron Zips 60-10. — © Jake Crandall via Imagn Content Services, LLC

The USFL is a new professional football league, and all of the games are played in Birmingham, Alabama. The USFL is getting a lot of media attention and is entertaining to watch. Sal Canella, John Franklin III, and Marquel Harrell are all currently in the USFL, so it would be cool to see him paired with one of these players. Franklin is playing wide receiver for the Tampa Bay Bandits. Auburn fans would love to see Frankin and Robertson on the same team. Canella is playing tight end for the New Orleans Breakers, and it would also be great to see Canella and Robertson sharing targets.

CFL:

Demetris Robertson at Auburn football pro day on Tuesday, March 15, 2022 in Auburn, Ala.Todd Van Emst/AU Athletics — Todd Van Emst/AU Athletics

The CFL is the most likely destination for Robertson. Former Auburn players with the same caliber players as Robertson ended up in the CFL and have had some decent success. Some of the players who had solid seasons in the CFL are Darvin Adams, Quan Bray, Ryan Davis, Duke Williams, Cameron Artis-Payne, Ricardo Louis, Nick Marshall, and Jonathan Mincy.