Prospect Bio

Wan’Dale Robinson was a running back during his time at Western Hills High School in Frankfort, Kentucky. He rushed for over 2,000 yards in both his sophomore and junior seasons and was dangerously close to reaching that mark as a senior. Robinson finished his high school career with 6,795 rushing yards and 97 touchdowns on the ground. He also caught 102 passes for 1,787 yards and 21 touchdowns. As a senior, Robinson won the Paul Hornung Award as Kentucky’s top high school football player and was named Mr. Football in the state of Kentucky. He earned four-star recruit status and was rated as the top all-purpose back in the 2019 recruiting class, per 247Sports. Offers came flowing in from across the nation, including Alabama, Ohio State, Purdue, Michigan, Duke, Minnesota, and Kentucky. He ultimately chose Nebraska where he started three games at wide receiver and one at running back during his freshman season. He ranked second on the team in receptions (40), receiving yards (453), and receiving touchdowns (2), while also ranking third in carries (88), rushing yards (340) and rushing touchdowns (3). He also amassed 236 kick return yards and was fourth nationally among all FBS freshmen in all-purpose yards per game. Robinson was named honorable mention All-Big Ten Conference and Freshman All-American.

Robinson followed up his impressive freshman campaign by leading Nebraska with 51 receptions for 461 receiving yards as a sophomore. He also started two games at running back and finished with 46 carries for 240 yards and two total touchdowns. He was again honorable mention all-conference. Following the 2020 season and in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, Robinson opted to transfer to the University of Kentucky to be closer to his family. It proved to be a good move in football terms. He finished his junior campaign with 104 receptions for 1,334 yards and seven touchdowns. His receptions and receiving yards were both school records while ranking third and 11th in the nation, respectively. He again added an element on the ground, finishing the season with 111 rushing yards on seven carries. Robinson was named second-team All-SEC and was the MVP of the Citrus Bowl against Iowa. 

College Stats

Wan’Dale Robinson College Stats Courtesy of sports-reference

Positives

+37.3% (75th-percentile) College Dominator (PlayerProfiler.com)

+18.7 (95th-percentile) Breakout Age (PlayerProfiler.com)

+Creates separation downfield

+Change of direction

+Yards after catch

+Good route-runner

+Versatile 

+39.3% Target Share (PlayerProfiler.com)

+8 receptions per game 

+3.64 yards per team pass attempt

+141 career rush attempts 

+18 career kick/punt returns 

+Was second on his team in receiving and third in rushing as a true freshman 

+Early Declare

Negatives

-Size

-Struggles vs press

-Limited catch radius

-Struggles in contested situations 

-Mostly limited to the slot 

-25th-percentile Speed Score (PlayerProfiler.com)

-32nd-percentile Burst Score (PlayerProfiler.com)

-12.8 YPR

Highlight Reel

Comparable Player: Rondale Moore

NFL Draft Projection: Third/Fourth Round

Yards Per-Formance Grade: 74.5

Bottom Line:

Wan’Dale Robinson is small but mighty. He’s a talented route-runner who consistently creates separation. He is electric with the ball in his hands and a guy coaches want to get the ball to as much as possible. Robinson carried the ball 141 times throughout his career and was deployed as a kick returner throughout his three seasons. He projects as a primary slot guy who will contribute as a No.3 wide receiver, gadget guy, and returner early in his NFL career. In dynasty, he’s been slipping down draft boards as fantasy managers are concerned about his size. While it certainly is a factor and, frankly, puts a cap on his ceiling, Robinson is too talented to let slip past the top-30 picks.

Post Draft Analysis:

Of course the team that drafted Kadarius Toney in the first round a year ago, selects Wan’Dale Robinson in the second round. While he has an impressive production profile, his size without elite athletic traits, limits his ceiling. He’s going to be severely over-drafted in rookie drafts.

Resources: DLF, PlayerProfiler, PFN, PFF, TDN

Yards Per-Formance Prospect Grade