The New York Giants have a wide receiver who was recently recognized for his full-scale impact in the passing game.
Pro Football Focus’ Mason Cameron assessed the best triple-threat wideouts in the NFL and named Giants receiver Wan’Dale Robinson among their short list of selections, saying this (h/t Matt Citak of Giants.com):
“Of the six receivers to qualify for this list, Robinson leads the bunch in open-target rate (94.7%) and contested catch rate (80%), placing in the 94th percentile or greater in each facet,” Cameron wrote. “Understandably, coverage units had trouble matching up with Robinson’s route-running ability, so contested targets were seldom (just five), but he finished those at a high clip, with only one resulting in an incompletion.”
Giants: Wan’Dale Robinson can use his superb technical skills to earn WR2 job in 2024
PFF made their picks off of the aforementioned open-target and contested catch rates, and also separation rate. Robinson posted a separation rate of 80 percent last season. That may be his most telling marker, showing that the product utilizes an array of maneuvers to distance himself from standout defensive backs.
Robinson is expected to take the next step in 2024. Rookie WR Malik Nabers is expected to be the Giants’ WR1 while Darius Slayton will give Robinson his biggest competition for snaps at WR2. When on the field, Robinson may garner more attention from opposing secondaries. Should he be keyed in on more, that will require the third-year pro to maintain his reliable foundation as a pass-catcher while implementing the improvements he’s made on other parts of his game this offseason.
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How Robinson’s efficiency can translate to growth in 2024 with increased workload
In 2023, Robinson saw 78 targets in 15 games, eight of which he started. The Giants no longer have Saquon Barkley anchoring their backfield. Thus, there may be a greater emphasis placed on their aerial attack even with the capable Devin Singletary filling Barkley’s shoes.
The Giants attempted 195 passes from Weeks 1-5 and Week 9, the games in which starting quarterback Daniel Jones played in. Their focus on passing wilted a bit under backup QB’s Tyrod Taylor and Tommy DeVito, dropping to 157 attempts from Weeks 6-8 and Weeks 10-12 and 166 attempts in the last five games of the year.
All that to say, if the G-Men opt to throw more in 2024, even above that which they did with Jones in the lineup in 2023, Robinson could be in line for a slight uptick to his average of 5.2 targets per game. Even if he sees only one more target per week, that could add up for New York, because he’ll be a strong bet to bring it down and increase their yardage.