Panthers Working Hard Scouting Allen Robinson in Hours Left Before Draft

Late 1st-Rder RT @Rand_Getlin: The #Panthers are traveling for a last minute meeting with former #PennState WR Allen Robinson, per a source.
— Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout) May 3, 2014

Dave Gettleman said that the scouts wouldn't have any time off before the draft.  Looks like he wasn't kidding.  The Panthers need to have a strong draft this year to build on the momentum of last year's success. With a receiver core full of aging vets and unproven and mysterious rookies, the Panthers will certainly need to make some important additions to the offense.  C3 has been on the Allen Robinson bandwagon for sometime.  Prior to the combine, we forecasted him as Carolina's potential 1st Rd pick months ago.  His poor combine performance sent hurt his stock substantially. He would be a great value at #60 if he was still around, and it looks like Carolina recognizes that potential. He is a big body play-maker that can blossom into something special catching balls in Carolina.   Check C3's write-up on the Penn St. prospect, "Carolina Panthers' 1st Rd Draft Surprise: Allen Robinson, WR." 

What do you think about this tweet?  Do you think this means that we are not looking at receiver in the 1st or that we may be willing to expend a 1st Rd pick on Robinson?  Kind of hard to read, but I will be happy if Robinson lands in Carolina!  I'm just not sure if he will still be hanging around when the +Carolina Panthers are on the board at 60.

Camp Coming To Charlotte According To PantherNation

Michael Campanaro is your overwhelming selection for Cam’s now weapon in Rd 4.  And I for one think it is the right call.  Camp, who was interviewed on this site Monday night, brings a unique combination of Wes Welker-like sneakiness and Antonio Brown –like completeness.  He’s not the biggest WR out there, but he does run a 4.44 40 and knows how to get open and very rarely will you see him drop a pass.  One eye-popping stat on this young man

Why did we pick Brandin Cooks?

PantherNation has spoken and Brandin Cooks is our choice for Pick #28 in the upcoming Draft on May 8.  The voting was close, and certainly some will stomp their feet wishing we picked their guy.  But all of PantherNation is smarter than anyone of us.  So let’s take a deeper look and see why PantherNation chose Cooks.  We all know that we were 29th in passing last year, and that we lost our deep threat and punt returner in Ted Ginn, Jr.  Oh yea, we also lost our #1 Receiver in Steve Smith.  Cooks would immediately fill all of these roles.  He would be the #1 Receiver by default and with his 4.33 speed, he would be the one to take the top off the defense along with being an explosive punt returner. Still not convinced? True, there are a lot of other good options at 28.  A lot of other players are explosive too.  So why this guy?  Here is why I like the pick:  Brandin Cooks loves both football and what it can mean to his family.  He lost his father when he was only six years old and that had a dramatic impact on him and his siblings. All of this motivates this young man to be the best.  Read this article by the Oregonian to get a better idea of where this kid comes from and why he will be successful.

This 2013 Biletnikoff Award Winner reminds me of a lot of Steve Smith and you can’t argue with a great nickname either. Check out this video to see why the name Mach 7 fits.

This guy will make you get you out of your chair and I’m proud of PantherNation for making this selection.

Now granted, we do have other needs including Offensive Linemen and help in the Secondary.  Thankfully this is a deep draft and there are other Picks left to make. I agree that the Panthers need to invest a high round draft choice in this game-changing playmaker like Brandin Cooks.  Now the next step in letting your voices be heard is to decide what position we select at Pick #60.  You choice PantherNation:  WR, OT, CB or Safety?  Vote today  

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Carolina Panthers' 1st Rd Draft Surprise: Allen Robinson, WR

Jaws would drop. Fans would stand shocked as Roger Goodell announced, “at 28th pick the Carolina Panthers draft Allen Robinson, wide receiver from Penn State University.”  What? With a name like Benjamin, Cooks, Landry, Beckham, Jr., or Matthews still on the board and Gettleman’s love of the “hogmolly,” how could the accomplished, but rather unacclaimed pick from Penn jump into the 1st? McShay and Kiper will talk of Robinson’s talent and upside, how they like what they saw from him, but they will also drone endlessly that Robinson could been grabbed mid to late 2nd Rd.  

Ludicrous, right?  I mean the team’s 1st Rd. pick on a guy who would be the #3 option for the season.  Shouldn’t the Panthers look for a more immediate impact player? It just wouldn’t make sense—at first glance that is.  Fans may be stunned if Robinson was picked at #28, but they wouldn’t be disappointed.  

There’s a lot overlooked about Robinson that has prevented him from infiltrating top wide receiver draft boards. Robinson has the characteristics of a star NFL wideout: big, good hands, a good route runner, smart, hardworking, and can jump out the gym. Not to mention, he doesn’t appear to have any diva, so often associated with wideouts.  What is most overlooked about this potential star is his road to the draft.  His football past, or lack thereof, has contributed to draft prognosticators’ skepticism.  Robinson could just leap into the 1^st Rd, become the #1 receiving option in Carolina after Smith retires and, in the end, be one the best overall talents of 2014 NFL draft.  

If he is so good and has so much potential, why isn’t everyone talking him up?  I mean his draft stock should be trending up by now.  Outside of Pennsylvania, people just haven’t seen enough of him yet to draw national fanfare.  

Robinson’s Road

Robinson wasn't one of those high school kids that had the big press conference on college signing day.  His high school career didn’t garnered that much attention from big college programs.  He had played more basketball than football, missing a full football season from growing pains.  Yea, growing pains! Robinson grew 6” inches just before his sophomore year gained more than 35lbs before he left St. Mary’s prep.

The three star recruit who wasn’t seen as a starter, let alone a star, recorded only 3 catches for 29 yards his freshman year. Still skinny for his height, Robinson continued to grow both physically and as a player when Bill O'Brien took over the troubled program.  Robinson exploded during his sophomore and junior season in O'Brien’s pro-style offense, “winning back to back Big 10 receiver of the year awards.”  Robinson opted to enter the NFL draft, a year too early according to some, after O'Brien’s departure.  

Reasons Robinson Will Succeed

Work Ethic and Football Intelligence:

Robinson wasn’t ordained a star from the beginning.  He had to work hard to prove his worth to the Nittany Lions after a 3 rec/25 yds freshman year.  Instead of becoming downtrodden, Robinson used this as motivation in the offseason, pushing himself mentally and physically.  Commenting on his determination and improvement, Bill O’Brien stated:

“He worked extremely hard on his own game, getting stronger, getting faster, and getting quicker. He worked hard with Christian when he arrived here. You have to give him a lot of credit for the year he’s having. He’s done a really good job to date this year.”

Robinson has a lot of skill, talent, and physical ability.  Nevertheless, it’s his maturity and level-headedness that really makes him a special player.  He has a collected demeanor that seems unshakable and isn’t above putting his head down and working hard to get better.  These characteristics usually differentiate talented prospects from top NFL talents.  Former coach O’Brien, now Houston Texan head coach, praised,

“Allen Robinson is a very smart guy. He’s very football smart and he’s very smart off the field. He’s just an intelligent guy. He really worked hard this offseason to improve his individual skill set...“He works extremely hard at the game, studies the game. He’s a fantastic kid.”

Skill Set and Potential

 The hard work paid off in Robinson’s sophomore season, when he became the best wide receiver season in Penn St. history.  After surpassing names like Bobby Ingram with 77 catches in his sophomore campaign, he shattered his own record by catching 97 balls from a freshman during his junior season. He has great size (6’3, 208), with room to get bigger. He’s a surprisingly good route runner for what was a very short college career.  Oh and did I mention the boy can has great hands and can jump out the gym? I mean look at this catch against Michigan.

Final Assessment

It will come down to Robinson’s 40 yard time at the combine.  Everyone wants to know, does this kid have NFL speed?  There are varying reports on his 40 time.  One Penn St. resource unofficially clocked at 4.43 and CBS has him listed much slower at 4.56.  GMs will be looking at this measurement during the combine. He will only get stronger, more refined, and he has the ups, but is he fast?  Can he be a threat downfield? Few are expecting Robinson to a 4.36, but if he clocks a 4.46, he should be a 1st Rd draft pick!  I would be ecstatic if it were the Panthers who landed him. Robinson has the ability to contribute now, that’s not what excites me most about him.  Robinson has the potential to be great.  He’s got it physically and mentally. I’d love to see it happen in Carolina!