The dust has settled from the NFL Scouting Combine, and it’s becoming clear that few players improved their draft stock as much as Josh Robinson, a cornerback from Central Florida.
With an official time of 4.33 seconds in the 40-yard dash, Robinson was the fastest player at the Combine. Merely being the fastest player at the Combine is no guarantee of a player being chosen in the first round, but a strong performance at the Combine is sure to get NFL teams taking a second look at a player’s tape, and there are good things to see on Robinson’s tape.
Robinson told reporters at the Combine that he decided to enter the draft early even though the NFL draft advisory board told him he wouldn’t go in the first three rounds of the draft. But NFL Network’s Mike Mayock said on Path to the Draft that he sees Robinson going a lot higher than that.
“He’s a 200-pound corner with long arms who ran a 4.3 at the Combine, and on top of the 4.3, he tested at the highest level in every measurable,” Mayock said. “That’s what the Combine’s for. We go back to the tape and see if it’s really 4.3 speed. I went back and watched two more tapes of him against Southern Miss and BYU, and the only criticism is that he goes flat-footed at the transition point. I know that because I used to do that. And what happens is when you go flat-footed trying to come out of that transition on a vertical is difficult. When you look at his numbers, 10 interceptions in three years, he will tackle, great transition out of pedal, driving on the football, I don’t think there’s any way this kid is getting out of the first round.”
That was a lucrative Combine showing for Robinson.