Cam Robinson was the biggest steal for the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2017 NFL Draft
By Daniel Lago
The Jacksonville Jaguars may have nabbed a big steal in the second round of the 2017 NFL draft in new left tackle Cam Robinson.
The Jacksonville Jaguars have generally received very good reviews immediately after the draft over the last few years, and 2017 is no different. While many have debated the value of selecting a running back as high as the Jaguars did when they took Leonard Fournette at number 4 overall, they showed they have a plan when they took Cam Robinson in the second round of the draft.
While this draft class doesn’t appear to be the foundational haul we assumed the 2016 group would be, the Jaguars seemingly put together a solid group with plenty of value.
Mike Sando over at ESPN (an Insider article) polled NFL evaluators on who they believed was the biggest steal of the draft in every round. For the second round, the new Jacksonville Jaguars left tackle (or guard?) got some love:
"Cam Robinson, T, Jacksonville Jaguars (pick No. 34)Teams showered riches upon flawed offensive linemen in free agency because they didn’t feel good about college prospects at the position. But if talent at the position were so scarce in the draft and so few NFL teams have two tackles they love or even like, why wouldn’t general managers rush to select the two or three prospects worth taking early?“That was my perspective in our [draft] room,” one of the insiders said. “I thought Cam Robinson was one of the best picks in the draft. Now, he did have the marijuana stuff and the gun stuff, but there was nothing malicious and it was not a continual problem — not like Tim Williams or some of these other guys.”More from Jacksonville Jaguars News5 potential cap casualties the Jacksonville Jaguars should be in on in 2023The Jacksonville Jaguars got so lucky with the 2021 NFL DraftJacksonville Jaguars opt for continuity at RB, re-sign JaMycal HastyJaguars Mock Draft: Huge trade for a WR, add more help on offense3 landing spots for Jacksonville Jaguars WR Marvin Jones in 2023 NFL free agencyRobinson does not possess the athleticism that made Ronnie Stanley and Laremy Tunsil top-15 selections last year. But as one of the evaluators said, Robinson does possess good athleticism for his 6-foot-6, 330-pound frame, and his arms are plenty long for the position. Another insider called Robinson a “lock” to start, potentially for the next decade.It was then that I recalled a pre-draft discussion with an NFL coach who had met with Robinson and came away thinking the former Alabama lineman would be a bust. “Met him, talked to him, watched him on film,” this coach had said. “He has one of the best offensive line coaches in college football [Mario Cristobal], has really good skills and still plays bad. So there is something wrong.”"
The last quote is kind of interesting, because I haven’t really heard many people saying Robinson “played bad” in college. He shut down the top edge rushers in the SEC for the most part, including top overall selection Myles Garrett.
In terms of value, if Robinson ends up being a solid left tackle then the Jaguars made a terrific pick. Offensive line is a problem spot for every team in the league and we’ve consequently seen some underwhelming offensive lineman getting outrageous contracts (see: Luke Joeckel and Matt Kalil).
Robinson is on a rookie deal and could one a good left tackle right out of the gate. The real question now is whether he’s going to push Branden Albert out of the left tackle spot or take a seat at left guard for a year. Either way, he should be an upgrade for the Jaguars.