What can you say about Wan’Dale Robinson that hasn’t already been said?
Here’s a new one — an NFL Draft pick.
The hometown kid from the Commonwealth was selected 43rd overall by the New York Giants in Round 2.
It took just one year with the Kentucky Wildcats for the superstar wideout to separate himself as one of the most dynamic players in all of college football.
After a stint at Nebraska, Robinson decided it was time to return home and play for Mark Stoops in Lexington. He’d go on to have a historic individual season while leading UK to a 10-3 record.
For good measure, Robinson added some late-game heroics on Kentucky’s final drive of the season that led to a three-point victory over the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Citrus Bowl. His 1,334 receiving yards were the most in a single season by any Wildcat player in history.
Robinson’s 3,190 career all-purpose yards tell the story of just what an electric play-maker he is. Football fans in the Bluegrass have known this since his days at Western Hills High School in Frankfort, KY where he was a consensus four-star recruit.
NFL teams understand the undeniable impact he’s had on any team that he’s played for up to this point in his career, but it’s his 4.4 speed and 34.5-inch vertical leap that really hammer home Robinson’s potential to be a valuable asset in the pros.
The first thought that comes to my mind when thinking about Wan’Dale Robinson playing in a Giants uniform is fantasy football.
Once he takes in the scheme and pace of the NFL, it’s plausible that you’ll see a Robinson fielding some punts, and based on his time at UK, he showed that he can take a lick, so volume targets could be in his future down the road.
A few months ago, Robinson spoke to Kentucky Sports Radio’s Nick Roush and other reporters about adjusting his mindset to field punts in college.
“You can’t be back there in a position where everybody’s watching you and you’re stuck in your own head, just feel free. You know how to make plays, know what to do to get the ball in hand, the only thing you gotta do is just catch it. That was really the big change from high school to college is catching the ball. That was maybe 20 yards in the air and now it’s 60 yards in the air. Just time, practice preparation and eventually, I got to a point where I was very confident and my team was confident in me that I could make a play every time I was back there.”
Despite missing out on his freshman season and it only being a quick, one-year stop at Kentucky, Wan’Dale Robinson will go down as one of the most beloved Wildcats of the Mark Stoops era, if not ever.
There have been some special talents to come through Lexington, but not many packed the electricity that Wan’Dale Robinson brought to nearly every football game he played in.
When he decides he wants to plant his foot in the ground and change directions a single defender didn’t have a chance on earth.
It’s hard for me to imagine a relentless worker and someone who’s overcome so much like Wan’Dale Robinson has not succeeding in the NFL. His durability and versatility are just too elite not to thrive.
The BBN will never forget you, Wan’Dale. And New York is about to fall in love with you.
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