James Robinson: 2020 Dynasty Rookie Profile
Position: RB
School: Illinois State
Class: Senior
Date of Birth: August 9, 1998
Height: 5-9 Weight: 219lbs
Athletic Testing
40-Time: 4.64
Speed Score: 94.5 (43rd-percentile)
Burst Score: 130.5 (92nd-percentile)
Agility Score: 11.22 (69th-percentile)
Bench Press: 24 (80th-percentile)
SPARQ-x: 127.5 (89th-percentile)
Bio
Not only did James Robinson’s 9,045 rushing yards at Lutheran High School in Rockford, Illinois set school and state records, but it also ranks inside the top-15 all-time in U.S. high school history. His 158 touchdowns are the fourth most in the nation’s history. Robinson rushed for 2,461 yards and 44 touchdowns in his senior season (12 games). After his incredible high school career, Robinson landed at Illinois State as a three-star recruit. He ran for 322 yards and two touchdowns with 12 receptions for 109 yards and a score as a freshman. He added an additional 325 yards on 14 kickoff returns.
See Where James Robinson Lands In Our 2020 Dynasty Rookie Rankings
Robinson became the team’s lead rusher in his sophomore campaign, taking 165 carries for 933 yards (5.7 YPC) and 12 touchdowns. He also caught nine passes for 75 yards and received first-team All-Missouri Valley Football Conference honors. Robinson was a Walter Payton Award finalist in 2018 as the top offensive player in the FCS after rushing for 1,290 yards on 205 carries (6.3 average) and 12 scores with 21 receptions, 164 yards, and a touchdown in the receiving game. He also earned third-team Associated Press All-American honors and was a first-team All-MVFC selection. As Robinson continued to improve his game, his numbers improved right along with it. He led the FCS with 1,917 rushing yards (5.3 average) in 2019 and finished sixth with 18 rushing touchdowns. He also caught 16 passes for 80 yards. It was enough to earn first-team AP All-American and all-conference honors.
Robinson underwhelmed in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine but displayed significant burst with impressive jumps of 40 inches and 125 inches in the vertical and broad jumps, respectively.
College Stats
James Robinson College Stats Courtesy of PlayerProfiler.com
Positives
+48.7-percent (98th-percentile) Dominator
+Three-year starter
+3.66 yards after contact per attempt
+12.1-percent reception share
+52.9-percent TD share
+2.28 yards per team play
+92nd-percentile Burst Score
+127.5 (89th-percentile) SPARQ-x
+88th-percentile BMI
Negatives
-Below average speed: 43rd-percentile Speed Score
-5.3 (40th-percentile) YPC
-Six fumbles last season
-Not a creative runner
-Small school; level of competition
Highlight Reel
Best Comparable Player (PlayerProfiler): Kenneth Dixon
NFL Draft Projection: Day Three
Bottom Line:
James Robinson is a small school prospect with an impressive college production profile and true NFL workhorse size. While we like his 92nd-percentile Burst and 69th-percentile Agility, his below average output in the most predictive metric—Speed Score—is concerning. It’s hard to get overly excited about a slow small school running back who was an inefficient compiler at Illinois State. Robinson will likely have to wait until Day Three to hear his name called by an NFL team and is nothing more than a late-round flier in dynasty rookie drafts.
Resources: DLF, PlayerProfiler, NFL.com, PFF
