Denard Robinson: Planting a Flag

Okay, there are sleepers, there are deep sleepers, and there are guys no one is talking about.  Denard Robinson falls somewhere in the latter part of that group.

So, if I'm going to plant a flag on a very deep sleeper, Robinson is my guy.  There aren't a ton of reasons, so this may be a short post.  I just wanted to go on the record.

Opportunity - MoJo Drew is the starter, but he has a surgically repaired foot and may not yet be all the way back.  Plus he had a very public contract dispute last year plus some alleged off-field issues lately.  There are a lot of things to worry about with MoJo.  He's also a free agent after this year and not likely to re-sign with the Jags, so they may be eager to see what else they have.  So, who is the backup?  Justin Forsett?  Jordan Todman?  It's not exactly like Robinson has to climb over Marcus Allen and Bo Jackson for playing time.  I believe you'll see Denard Robinson get at least 10 touches a game this year, maybe more.

Chris Johnson Comp - Denard Robinson is almost exactly the same height, weight, and speed as Chris Johnson.  Does that mean he will run for 2,000 yards?  DR2K?  No, it doesn't mean that.  But, does that mean that he could possibly run for 2,000 yards in the NFL?  Well, a guy with the identical size and speed did it a few years ago.  So, yeah, anything's possible.

Improved Offensive Line - They spent the #2 overall pick on Luke Joeckel which solidifies the entire unit.  It may not be a top 10 offensive line, but it could be just inside the top half of the league.  For someone with Robinson's speed, he only needs a crack of daylight.

So, I'm planting a flag on Robinson.  I believe he'll get some opportunities to perform this year and I think he'll do some work with those chances.  For the last pick of your draft it's a good gamble.