SaintLeonard

Why Robinson is on the list


Lofty praise from the right sources is a good start.

During the Saints' playoff game at Seattle, FOX analyst John Lynch famously revealed that Bill Parcells phoned former pupil Sean Payton to chastise him for not saddling up Robinson, the next version of former Parcells workhorse Curtis Martin.

Parcells presented Martin at the Hall of Fame ceremony in 2012. That's rarefied company.

Undrafted out of West Texas A&M last offseason, Robinson settled for a three-day tryout at the Saints' rookie minicamp. By the time he dominated the game-winning field-goal drive to knock off the Eagles in January, Payton had anointed him the team's "most talented runner of the football."

Robinson enters his second season as Exhibit A in the argument against paying big money for running backs. He forced more missed tackles on 76 regular-season snaps than Ray Rice did on 730, per Pro Football Focus' metrics.

This is a demonstrated skill. Robinson also led the league in forced missed tackles during the preseason and averaged more postseason yards after contact per attempt than Marshawn Lynch and LeGarrette Blount, the latter of whom became the first player in NFL history with at least 150 rushing yards and four touchdowns in a playoff game.


Why devote first-round draft picks to college stars such as Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson when Robinson had already turned out a finer all-around performance in his fourth preseason game than either Alabama star has produced since entering the league?

At 6 feet and 220 pounds Robinson boasts three-down size and skills. What stood out on Game Rewind was his exceptional balance, above-average power, plus vision and a decisive burst when he put his foot in the ground and turned up field.

While other backs get tripped up by hits to the lower leg, Robinson consistently regains his footing for extra yards. He's not going down with an arm tackle.


Continue reading: Making the Leap, No. 19: Saints' Khiry Robinson - NFL.com

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