Penn State’s Allen Robinson Emerging as First Round Receiver
Oct 5, 2013; Bloomington, IN, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions wide receiver Allen Robinson (8) runs for a touchdown against the Indiana Hoosiers at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Pat Lovell-USA TODAY Sports
A week after a very tough loss for Penn State to the Indiana Hoosiers, the Nittany Lions came out and beat the Michigan Wolverines in four overtimes.
Despite the sanctions Penn State has to deal with, they’ve still been able to recruit some pretty darn good players, including top QB Christian Hackenberg, who looks like a future number one pick.
Hackenberg’s quick development has paved the way for junior wide receiver Allen Robinson, a 6’3″ 210 pound target who has had four games this season with 129 yards receiving or more.
Robinson didn’t have his best game of the season against Michigan, but he did make a huge catch late in the fourth quarter to set Penn State up to take the game to overtime, and he’s starting to earn a reputation around the country as arguably a top five overall receiver.
Through the first six games of the season, he’s caught 43 passes for 705 yards and five touchdowns. The number’s don’t lie–when Robinson is targeted more, he is extremely productive. Against Michigan, Robinson had just five catches and he had three against Kent State two weeks prior, but in the other four games for Penn State this season, he caught seven, seven, nine, and 12 passes.
As a sophomore, Robinson had over 1,000 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns, and clearly with the play of Hackenberg his play has elevated. He has now developed into a legitimate #1 receiver and possible first round candidate.
With Hackenberg just a freshman for the Nittany Lions, it wouldn’t be stupid for Robinson to go back to Penn State for his senior year, but the hype he’s generating right now is too much to ignore. If he continues on this pace, there’s no doubt he’ll be a likely top 50 pick when all is said and done and he could definitely push for first round status.