Wan'Dale Robinson could stick out in weaker wide receiver draft

Shortly after Kentucky’s Citrus Bowl victory over Iowa, junior wideout Wan’Dale Robinson announced that he would be a one-and-done for the Wildcats.

The former top-100 recruit and Nebraska transfer lit the record books on fire during his one season in Lexington when the All-SEC performer collected 104 receptions for 1,334 yards. The star player helped give the Kentucky offense a facelift under new offensive coordinator Liam Coen.

Now Robinson will give Kentucky a second wide receiver drafted under Mark Stoops after Lynn Bowden Jr. went off the board to the Las Vegas Raiders in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft.

Where will the Frankfort (Ky.) Western Hills product end up? A move into the backend of the second round might be possible.

Top heavy talent

The talent at wideout in the 2021 NFL Draft was just absurd. Ja’Marr Chase is already setting records for the Cincinnati Bengals. Both DeVonta Smith (Philadelphia Eagles) and Jaylen Waddle (Miami Dolphins) had excellent debut seasons. Rashod Bateman (Baltimore Ravens) looked the part after missing some of the season with injury.

The 2022 wideout crop may not have the top-end star power, but there are plenty of guys who should receive first round grades from multiple NFL franchises.

Treylon Burks (Arkansas), Drake London (USC), Jameson Williams (Alabama), and Garrett Wilson (Ohio State) are all in the conversation for WR1. Each should be top-20 picks. After that first tier, David Bell (Purdue), Jahan Dotson (Penn State), and Chris Olave (Ohio State) are all in round one contention.

Then there appears to be a drop off.

Wan’Dale Robinson won’t be in among the top-10 wideouts for many NFL franchises, but the slot receiver could sneak into a few top 10s. That alone could allow the Kentucky wideout to sneak into the end of the second round.

Lack of size and top end speed

The biggest thing that will hold Wan’Dale Robinson back is size. At the NFL Combine, the junior might come in smaller than the 5-11, 185 pounds the junior was listed this season at Kentucky. That could be a concern.

Robinson was not used a ton of special teams at either Nebraska or Kentucky and has a lack of vertical speed to make him a downfield threat at the next level.

Robinson is a true slot receiver and that’s where he will need to impress teams. The 13 games for Kentucky give him a solid base to work off of because there likely won’t be much to pull from the Nebraska tape outside of some gadget touches.

At the combine and in workouts, Robinson must show some strong route-running to get into the second round.

High floor

No matter what happens, the production in 2021 gives Wan’Dale Robinson a high place to land in the 2022 NFL Draft. The junior is a no doubt top-20 wideout in this cycle.

That should place the floor in the third round for Robinson in April.

The playmaking receiver flashed an ability to make plays and tough catches at all three levels at Kentucky with solid contact balance and the ability to absorb and survive hits from bigger defensive backs.

In a weaker wide receiver draft, that should make the Kentucky product at least a top-100 pick in a few months.