Giants Country

New York Giants WR Wan'Dale Robinson: The Good, The Great, and The Ugly

We looked at Robinson's 2023 performance against the Packers and assessed where his strengths and weaknesses were.

Gene Clemons

Jan 7, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants wide receiver Wan'Dale Robinson (17) reacts after a first down reception during the first half against the Philadelphia Eagles at MetLife Stadium.
Jan 7, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants wide receiver Wan'Dale Robinson (17) reacts after a first down reception during the first half against the Philadelphia Eagles at MetLife Stadium. / Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
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When the New York Giants drafted Wan’Dale Robinson with a second-round pick in the 2022 NFL draft, they raised a lot of eyeballs. 

The Giants saw in Robinson a dynamic, elite-level Swiss Army knife that could fill many roles on the offense. He has a crazy level of shiftiness to his game, and when you combine that with elite explosiveness, he's impossible to guard. 

After a rookie season that ended prematurely due to injury, during his second season, when he returned to the lineup, he showed all the potential the Giants believed he had when they drafted him. He finished the season with 60 receptions and 525 yards. 

The Giants’ week 14 game against Green Bay really displayed what Robinson’s fully realized potential could be. He was effective as a runner and dynamic as a pass receiver. 

His intermediate route running was fantastic, it was difficult for defenders to stay with him in coverage, and he looked explosive throughout the game. He made game-changing plays in the running and passing games that helped the team win the game and did it all on limited touches.

The Good: Rushing Ability

Robinson is a talented runner with the ball in his hands. He has vision like a running back, and he has the speed and explosiveness to get to and through the hole quickly.

His shiftiness helps him get behind the line of scrimmage, and that elusiveness allows him to make defenders miss. In the Packers game, he showed the ability to get the edge on a run via the jet sweep and line up in the backfield and take a handoff for a big gain outside. 

His collegiate background as a legitimate running threat makes him look so natural in the backfield. He carried the ball 134 times over his first two collegiate seasons in Nebraska. 

He only carried the football nine times in 2023, but he averaged 9.7 yards per carry. A healthy offseason could see his carries increase substantially in 2024. 

The Great: Pass Catching at All Three Levels

It's easy to say that Robinson is a good pass catcher, but that does not do his potential justice.

As a pass receiver, he is effective at all three levels. You can throw him a pass behind the line of scrimmage or a short route, or you can throw him intermediate routes, and he can be explosive down the field. 

He uses his elusiveness and explosion on the short routes or screens to create lanes and eat up yards. 

In the intermediate passing game, his running route is dynamic because he can get in and out of breaks quickly and separate from defenders. 

He has the explosion to get by defenders on deep routes and plays bigger than his statue.

The Ugly: Useless Motions

This is less of an issue for Robinson and more a product of how they choose to use him in this Giants’ offense. Because he can operate as a runner and pass receiver, he is the most likely candidate to run these motions. Watching him run motions that do not involve him in the play is frustrating.

On many occasions in this game against Green Bay, you can see him run orbit motions, cross-motions, and even multiple motions just to execute a run play that does not include him as an option. 

There was a play where he ran a deep out route, caught it, and ran up the field. The next play, they ran him on a full-speed motion, only to call a run play, which, again, did not make his motion a viable option in the run play. That is just wasted energy. 

Coach’s Counsel

Robinson had the advantage of the first healthy offseason of his NFL career this offseason, and hopefully, he has focused on building his body up to be able to take more punishment whenever he needs to do it. 

Robinson's next step is ensuring he is physically ready for an increased role this season. Even with the presence of Malik Nabers, the identity of this offense is shifting and the emphasis will be on the short passing game, which should mean more targets for Robinson.

More "Good, Great and Ugly Film Reviews

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Gene Clemons

GENE CLEMONS

Gene "Coach" Clemons has been involved with the game of football for 30 years as a player, coach, evaluator, and journalist.  Clemons has spent time writing for the Worcester Telegram and Gazette, Bridgton News, Urbana Daily Citizen, Macon Telegraph and footballgameplan.com.  He has a YouTube channel called "Coach Gene Clemons" where you can find his popular "X&O The Joes" series as well as other football related content. 

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