CeeDee Lamb falling to Dallas at 17th overall was like stumbling across one of Willy Wonka’s golden tickets just lying in plain view on a busy sidewalk. Trevon Diggs still being there at 51 addressed the team’s need in the secondary with first-round talent. Neville Gallimore going 82nd beefed up the defensive line in a big way. Tyler Biadasz, the nation’s top center, lasted until the fourth round. Defensive end Bradlee Anae was selected way past his projected slot.
But when the Cowboys one day look back on this year’s draft class in hindsight, it could well be Reggie Robinson II who is viewed as the real steal of 2020.
The 6-foot-1-inch Lone Star State native was actually the highest-rated cornerback coming out this year, with an overall draft score of 89 from NFL.com’s Next Gen Stats. But as Cowboys fans have already latched onto, the lanky Tulsa product has played safety before, and seems willing to do so once again if it gets him on the field sooner. It might, given the plethora of options at corner in Dallas.
The just-turned-23-year-old has explosive speed and ballhawking instincts, too. That could put Robinson in a prime position to contribute early on special teams. In college, he showed a particular knack for blocking kicks, doing it four times in 45 games with the Golden Hurricane. (The Cowboys as a team haven’t blocked a single kick attempt in their last 43 outings.)
But blocking kicks only gets a player so far. According to Bucky Brooks via the team’s official website:
“As a pass defender, Robinson displays good instincts, awareness, and diagnostic skills. He has a nice feel for recognizing route concepts and frequently positions himself in an ideal spot to react quickly to the ball. Robinson’s anticipation, awareness, and quick reactions results in timely interceptions on tipped passes or overthrown balls in his area. He is a more effective playmaker when he’s able to play with vision on the quarterback in a zone-based scheme.
“In man coverage, Robinson is at his best playing bump-and-run at the line. He utilizes his superior reach to jam and re-route receivers early in routes to disrupt the timing of the passing game. Robinson combines his active hands with quick feet while using a mix of shadow techniques and quick jams to neutralize receivers. When he exhibits discipline and patience at the line of scrimmage, he eliminates his assigned receiver and forces quarterbacks to throw the ball elsewhere.
“From a critical standpoint, Robinson’s shoddy technique and panicky playing style lead to some cringe-worthy moments on the perimeter. He has a tendency to grab and hold receivers down the field and his inconsistent positioning can be attributed to his lack of discipline at the line. If Robinson focused on getting his work done early, he would be in a better position to snag interceptions instead of racking up PBUs on the perimeter.”
In his deep-dive profile for The Athletic, Bob Sturm noted some of the same grabby tendencies in dissecting tape from Robinson’s senior campaign:
“I saw plenty of brief balance issues or stumbles, and then he grabs his man to hold on for dear life. This clearly is better than giving up a big play, but it quickly draws the flag. He is very physical, and you can expect this will be his hurdle: stop taking penalties. He will be called frequently early on in the NFL, I assume.”
Couple that bad habit with what Brooks calls “questionable tackling skills,” and it’s perhaps a little more clear why Robinson lasted until the 123rd pick. But raw talent can be coached up, and there’s plenty of that here.
“This is certainly a Day Two talent who slipped to the Cowboys,” Sturm says of Robinson, “and [Dallas] must think they pitched a near-perfect game in the draft to get two corners of similar profiles who can usher in their new coverage plans and ideas. This is a very impressive player who will need to put in a camp that answers any questions of readiness or offers a timetable on the project, but you can see his upside is tremendous, and he has a chance to be a solid starter with a little refining. I’d assign him a second-third round grade, making the fourth-round selection a great value.”
Will McClay, the Cowboys’ president of player personnel, had his eye on Robinson for sure, and was no doubt thrilled to see him available on Day Three.
If his new jersey number is any indication (and Cowboys Nation has certainly put a lot of stock in that this week), Robinson has some big digits to fill. The team announced that Robinson will wear No. 41, the same as the team’s 2003’s first-round selection, Terence Newman. Newman went on to earn two Pro Bowl nods in his nine years as a Cowboy and led the team in interceptions five of those seasons.
Before that, 41 belonged to the legendary Charlie Waters. From 1970 to 1981, the safety from Clemson terrorized opposing offenses, racking up 41 picks on his way to five Super Bowl appearances, three Pro Bowl selections, and two championship rings. Waters holds the NFL record for most playoff interceptions with nine.
Coincidentally, Waters started his career as a cornerback and switched to safety- where he became an All-Pro- under the guidance of coach Tom Landry.
For the newest No. 41, the start of his Cowboys career has already necessitated some personal allegiance-switching. As pointed out in The Dallas Morning News, the native of Cleburne, Texas “grew up in a family full of Pittsburgh Steelers fans, and he was a New Orleans Saints fan.”
Having grown up right there in the Metroplex, Robinson is all Cowboy now, despite being admittedly starstruck when he got the call from team owner Jerry Jones.
“I was in shock. I knew immediately who it was,” Robinson told DMN‘s Calvin Watkins. “I was kind of shaking. The whole experience, I was kind of like, ‘Man, this is really happening right now.’ I was just like, ‘Yes, sir.’ I was nervous.”
Fourth-round draft picks are never a lock to make the team, but Robinson is an easy kid to root for and a seasoned veteran at overcoming challenges. As he revealed in a profile last fall on the Tulsa football website:
“I’m deaf in my left ear. I usually turn my head to the right to hear people. I can hear that you’re talking, but the treble of your voice won’t come out clear. I will know that you’re saying something, but I can’t hear the words. During games, our safeties will give me hand signals to help me overcome the hearing loss.”
Overcoming hearing loss. Overcoming questions about technique and tackling. Overcoming a slide to the fourth round. Overcoming a potential transition to a new position at the highest level.
Robinson seems to be taking it all in stride.
Overcoming is what Reggie Robinson II seems to excel at.
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