How the Kentucky Offense Prepared Wan'Dale Robinson for the NFL

Wan’Dale Robinson looked different. The outstanding athlete brought his fast feet and signature smile to Indianapolis for the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine. He left his long hair behind in Lexington.

“I just wanted to cut it, honestly,” he told KSR. “No specific reason, I just wanted to cut it.”

It’s one of the many changes Wan’Dale made over the last 15 months to get one step closer to making his dream a reality. Thanks to a timely move from Nebraska back to Kentucky, he’s poised to hear his name called on the second day of the 2022 NFL Draft. Tomorrow the former Kentucky Mr. Football will get a chance to improve his resume by running combine drills on the field at Lucas Oil Stadium.

“This has been a dream ever since I was 5,” he said. “Ask my Dad what I went to bed watching when I was five-years-old, and that was the NFL Network. This is the biggest thing that I could ever ask for. When I had the opportunity to leave I couldn’t really pass it up.”

Kentucky’s Offensive Advantage for Wan’Dale

Throughout Mr. Robinson’s week in Indianapolis he will have informal conversations with almost every team in the NFL. His first formal meeting was with the New England Patriots (No, Bill Belichick was not present). During these meetings prospects are peppered with questions to help organizations understand an individual’s football IQ. Thanks to one season in Lexington, Wan’Dale Robinson knows the language NFL coaches are speaking.

“Teams have different terminology and things like that, but most things are very similar. Some words might be changed up a little bit and things like that, but Kentucky really prepared me for this situation,” said Wan’Dale.

Robinson began his collegiate career at Nebraska, splitting time at running back and receiver during his two seasons in Lincoln. To prove to NFL scouts he could be an elite pass-catcher, he needed to dedicate 100% of his time and attention to playing wide receiver in a pro-style system. Liam Coen’s offense provided him an opportunity to put up record-breaking numbers while playing in an NFL offense in front of his family and friends.

“It was amazing. It was more than I could have ever asked for. The fans and my family, they gave me all the support — more than I could ever ask for. It was really important to go out there and show out with everything that I could.”

Even though Liam Coen has returned to the Los Angeles Rams, Kentucky is keeping its pro-style offense intact with Rich Scangarello. Wan’Dale will not be the last Wildcat to benefit from Kentucky’s scheme.

“It’s super big, especially with the meetings I’ve had, you’re definitely going to talk about NFL concepts that we’ve ran and things like that. The coaches are going to know that you ran a pro-style offense and that you can come in and do the same things.”

Running Back Benefits

What was once a weakness is now considered a strength. Over the last year Robinson tried to distance himself from the running back label. Now he’s embracing it. Deebo Samuel showed a path for ‘position-less’ players like Robinson to succeed on Sundays.

“It’s all of the things I’ve done in college, even at Nebraska I was taking a lot of carries — inside zone, outside zone, doing a lot of different things. Being at Kentucky I was able to play a lot of receiver, so I just feel like I have the versatility to be able to do both at a very high level,” Robinson shared.

“There were games where I had to take 10+ carries at Nebraska. If a team needs me to do that, I feel like I can do it.”

His versatility is a selling point to NFL teams. Everybody wants the next Deebo or Cordarrelle Patterson on their roster. Even though he did not take too many handoffs in Lexington last season, his experience between the tackles pays dividends in the open field.

“I feel like when it’s one-on-one, I don’t think anyone can tackle me. I think I turn into a running back with the ball in my hands. I’m going to fight for extra yards and just try to break as many tackles as I can on the way to the end zone,” he said.

Robinson broke plenty of tackles last fall, just ask Iowa’s Riley Moss. He led all SEC wide receivers with 22 broken tackles in 2021. His success starts with his physical gifts, but what sets Wan’Dale apart from the pack is what is between his ears.

“(Since) the first moment I started playing football, the mentality I have whenever I step out on the football field is ‘you’re the best player whenever you step out there on the field.’ It’s how I’ve always been. Even though I’m not the biggest, not the strongest, I always felt like I could do whatever I needed to do and I was always going to make a play when I needed to make a play.”