Receiver looks faster at rookie minicamp ASHBURN — The one attribute that impressed evaluators is the one thing Aldrick Robinson didn’t show enough of last summer: speed. Robinson is confident that will be different this summer.
If that’s the case, then Robinson could be one of the more intriguing players to watch this summer. During voluntary workouts and at the rookie minicamp last weekend (he could attend since he spent almost his entire first season on the practice squad), Robinson said he’s seen a change.
“It’s a big difference,” Robinson said. “I came out here last year and I didn’t know the plays, and I didn’t know where to line up. I couldn’t let my talent show. Now that I know the offense I can compete now. I can show my speed. I can run routes faster.”
Robinson, a sixth-round pick in 2011, ran the 40-yard dash in 4.43 seconds at the combine, but too often he failed to get past defensive backs on routes in practice.
“That’s the one thing that puts me above others,” he said.
The Redskins kept him around because of that speed — it’s why they didn’t want him to sign with Jacksonville off the practice squad and instead promoted him. They also worked with him on catching punts, something he struggled to do last training camp. In a crowded receiving corps, Robinson must show a lot to remain on the roster. It’s great to talk about it in May; it’s another to show it during training camp.
His coach at Southern Methodist University, June Jones, called this a big year for Robinson.
“When Mike [Shanahan] and I talked, what I told him is that Aldrick has world-class speed, and it will start to show up with the more confidence he gets and the more he knows what he’s doing,” Jones said. “I thought he would be better at the pro level, moving him around and putting him in the slot. We only played him outside. But he’s a really smart kid, and he has the speed you can’t coach. I would think this is the year he either takes it to the next level or they look for someone else.”
