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The Jacksonville Jaguars knew exactly what they were doing when they selected Denard Robinson in the fifth round of this year’s draft. The college quarterback wasn’t garnering any attention to play QB in the NFL, so he proclaimed himself as an offensive weapon. The Jaguars clearly liked his assessment, and now they’ve actually gone as far to list him on the official roster as an ‘offensive weapon’ (OW).
This is more than appropriate for Robinson, because we’re two months past the draft, and I still have no idea what he’ll do best in the NFL. I really liked the Jaguars decision to take him, and while it is a risk, it’s one that’s worth taking. Robinson is just flat out fast, and his 4.4-speed is going to cause problems for opposing defenses.
The idea of an ‘offensive weapon’ position is also great. For years there’s been no spots for athletic guys who can make plays – guys just like Robinson. But in today’s NFL, things are different. Teams are finally breaking away from traditional football, and opening things up a bit. It’s now a pass-happy league, where speed rules.
Robinson could be the trend-setter for future OWs. Depending on how his rookie season goes, we could begin to see more and more teams draft players and clear roster spots for OWs. Robinson is the prototype, because he can run, throw, and catch – he’s the epitome of ‘just get him the football’.
I expect the Jaguars to line him up all over the field next year, and maybe even let him return kicks. So far they’ve been hush on what his exact role will be, which is the best way to play it. The true value in an offensive weapon is that you never know what they’re going to do.
Clearly there have been multi-tool players like Robinson in the past, but now that the role has an official name, I think we’ll start to see things really take off for OWs.
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