Wan'Dale Robinson Coming of Age for Giants

Remember when the New York Giants drafted smallish gadget receiver Wan'Dale Robinson out of the University of Kentucky, how people questioned what on earth the coaching staff was planning to do with a player who didn't seem to have any one definable skill set that made sense for the presumed offense the staff was planning to deploy?

Yeah, those were the days. While the Giants' second-round pick never really got the chance to develop into the type of player the Giants believed they were getting thanks to a torn ACL, this year, the 5-foot-8, 185-pound pack of dynamite has developed into the kind of weapon in the passing game that allows offensive coordinator Mike Kafka to deploy him in so many different ways and scenario, it's reached a point where it's fair to say Kafka is just toying with opposing defenses.

Robinson might only have one 100-yard receiving game to his name, but he's developed into a force with which to be reckoned. Per NFL NextGen Stats, he's currently tied for fourth for most average yards of separation (4.2) and is fourth in catch percentage (80.77 percent).

He's also shown himself capable of making the tough catches, and his confidence in returning from the devastating knee injury that cut short his rookie campaign has elevated him to a whole other level.

Not bad for a guy who is just a little more than a year removed from a torn ACL.

"He’s steadily gotten better, I’d say physically, which improves your confidence," said head coach Brian Daboll of Robinson. "In the last few weeks, you can see explosive quickness; he ran some really good routes again and was open quite a bit. Had the big play in the run, played with toughness, and played competitively. He was mixing it up pretty well for a smaller guy, too."

In the Giants' 2-22 win over the Green Bay Packers, the second-year player displayed his diverse skillset. His first big play was a spectacular 14-yard sideline catch from a scramble, the receiver somehow getting both his feet down as he secured the hard throw.

He then made a great adjustment on a flea flicker to haul in a back shoulder throw that went for 25 yards to set up Isaiah Hodgins's touchdown catch. But perhaps Robinson's best play of the night was his fake of a defender during the two-minute drive in which he got open and caught a perfectly placed ball down the right sideline for 32 yards, the catch setting up the eventual game-winning field goal.

By the end of the evening, Robinson had 115 all-purpose yards, including 36 in the rushing game. And the scary thing is that Robinson will only get better as he continues moving away from that knee injury.

"I’ve said he’s still working back to full health, where he can put his foot in the ground," Daboll said. If you watch the (32-yard) route, that was a huge play for us in the two-minute, the stem that he used and his quickness and explosiveness to get back and beat the leverage of the DB who wanted to stay outside of him.

"Just being able to do those types of things. I credit him a bunch. It’s a tough injury for a guy who uses that quickness and that speed. He’s still a young player, but I think the way he approaches the game, I’ve got a lot of respect for Wan’Dale. I’m glad he’s here."

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