The New York Giants selected Kentucky wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson with he 43rd pick in the 2022 NFL draft. The selection was a bit of a surprise to experts as Robinson was widely considered a Day 3 pick, not a second rounder.
The Giants thought otherwise and took the 5-foot-8, 178-pound slot speedster who earned All-SEC honors last year by grabbing 104 passes for 1,334 yards, which are both school records.
Robinson’s size has always been questioned but he has not let that hinder his progress nor his production.
“I’ve heard that my whole entire career, so it’s nothing new to me,” he told reporters on Friday night. “At the end of the day just another obstacle you’ve got to overcome just with what people think. For myself, I don’t think it’s a challenge or anything.”
Robinson is seen as a redundant piece in the Giants’ offense as they already have Kadarius Toney, the team’s top draft pick from a year ago, who does pretty much what Robinson does but on a higher level.
“I wasn’t in the SEC the years that he was there. So, I didn’t get to see him in person but I know who he is,” Robinson said of Toney. “I think we probably do some of the things that are similar and can do things that are alike in the short game and intermediate game and things like that. But at the end of the day, we are just play-makers I think.”
The mindset is the Giants now have two shifty wideouts in their arsenal. General manager Joe Schoen insists the Giants are not dealing Toney, so Robinson isn’t here to replace him but to supplement him.
Robinson is up against some long odds. He was clearly over-drafted (if you listen to draft experts) but that is not his fault. Ha can only go out and prove he is worthy of the pick.
“I always felt like I was talented enough to be picked this early. I just felt like somebody just had to believe in me and not believe in the hype thing and just believe in the football player,” he said.
Robinson plans to do whatever the Giants need him to do once he gets to New Jersey.
“Just come in and be a versatile piece and just do a lot of different things for the offense. At the end of the day, I just want to come in and help the team win,” he said.
As for what type of player the Giants are getting in him, he knows exactly who he is.
“A tough, elusive, exciting — just a playmaker,” he said.
And in this man’s NFL, you can’t have two many of those.
