Is Jacksonville Jaguars’ Allen Robinson still a top receiver?
By Luke Sims
Allen Robinson‘s biggest play in Week 6 was a dropped pass that turned into an interception. Is he still a top receiver?
There’s no question that Allen Robinson is a talented wide receiver. His 2015 breakout for 1400 yards and 14 touchdowns put him in the conversation with the league’s best.
But that sophomore season is looking more and more like a tease.
Robinson has the ability to do what he did in 2015 again. He was the biggest playmaker on offense then and he warranted most of the defensive attention in 2015. Yet he hasn’t been able to replicate it in 2016. He “only” has 287 yards and three touchdowns through five games.
Those numbers aren’t terrible in the world of the NFL, but they also aren’t “Allen Robinson” type numbers. Jags fans expected him to come back in 2016 and be utterly dominant.
Actually, everyone expected him to come back in 2016 and be utterly dominant. Shortly before the 2016 season, Fantasy Pros highlighted Robinson and said he was out to prove he’s elite.
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After Week 6, Robinson’s catch rate (51.1 percent) is 166th in the NFL, his total yards is 55th, his 12 yards per reception ranks 62nd, and his 4.8 receptions per game is just 36th. The only stat he seems to be near the league leaders at is in touchdowns, where his three TDs tie him for 10th in the NFL.
Those numbers are a far cry from elite.
Those numbers are a far cry from what we expected based on 2015.
Near the start of the 2016 season Pro Football Focus ranked the top wide receivers in one-on-one situations. Robinson was ranked eighth. He joined peers like A.J. Green, Odell Beckham Jr., Alshon Jeffrey, and Brandon Marshall. PFF said there was no better receiver in the NFL at the catch point than Robinson.
Doesn’t seem like it right now.
Similarly, Chris Wesseling called Robinson the fourth best deep threat in the NFL at the end of September. This, even with Robinson clearly not on the same level as he was in 2015. Wesseling was wise to point to quarterback problems as a key contributor, but with Allen Hurns now ahead of him in yards and catching just four less passes despite nine less targets, it’s fair to wonder if there’s something else messing with the Bortles-Robinson connection.
The Jags are just five games into the season and it isn’t necessarily time to panic, but there’s something here that just doesn’t seem right. Robinson should easily be the best receiver on the team but instead finds himself in close competition with Hurns and even Marqise Lee.
Robinson is still on pace for almost 1000 yards and almost 10 touchdowns. Those aren’t bad numbers for any receiver, but they aren’t the elite level we all expect from him.
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Hopefully he can turn it around and surprise us all again. He has the talent to be among the best but he still needs to prove it.