Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports
The New York Giants are all set to take on the Pittsburgh Steelers tonight and many on the coaching staff are eager to see a couple of players in game action to see if what they see on the practice field can translate into game scenarios. One Giant who will have a lot of attention thrown his way is second-year tight end Adrien Robinson.
Robinson, 24, was drafted in the fourth round of the 2012 NFL Draft and was immediately dubbed by GM Jerry Resse as the “JPP of tight ends” referring to Jason Pierre-Paul. The 6-foot-four, 264-pound Robinson is oozing with size and potential but only made it on the field for two games last season and didn’t record a catch.
The coaching staff thinks Robinson can be a two-way tight end, blocking when necessary and also being a threat in the passing game, especially in the red zone where Robinson can use his size to his advantage.
Last season, the Giants didn’t expect him to contribute much since he was coming from a program that didn’t pass the ball much or utilize their tight ends in the passing game. This season, the competition is wide open for the starting tight end spot despite Brandon Myers being brought in in free agency. Myers is not a very good blocker, something he is trying to work on in camp. Robinson, because of his ability to block, could find himself on the field more in one game this season than he was his entire rookie year.
Robinson will need to show the coaching staff what he can do and he will get plenty of opportunities this preseason. It starts tonight and Robinson could seize the starting job with a very strong preseason. The Giants should be utilizing plenty of two tight end formations this season so both he and Myers could see plenty of reps this season even if one doesn’t win the starting job. For Robinson, it all starts against the Steelers tonight.
Chris is a Senior Writer as well as the Hiring and Recruiting Manager for Rant sports. Follow Chris on Twitter and “Like” his page on Facebook.
