LA Rams OC Liam Coen has great insight for 7 UK draft hopefuls

Round 4

With the 142nd pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, the LA Rams select Wan’Dale Robinson, wide receiver, from the University of Kentucky. Now we are getting in that ‘buzz’ territory, and the fact is that many teams love Robinson, whose current NFL Draft grade is 6.17 (Round IV – 106th ranked player).

Okay, so this is a player to get excited about. Now, let me tell you why?

He is very similar to a player chosen early by the Rams in the 2021 NFL Draft named Tutu Atwell. But at Kentucky, the Wildcats got this guy involved in all aspects of the offense. He stands 5-foot-8 and weighs 178-pounds (about 30 pounds more than Atwell did one year ago). While Atwell blazed a 4.32-second 40-yard dash, Robinson dashes a 4.44-second 40-yard dash.

Robinson transferred to the University of Kentucky for one season, but what a season. Coen used him in all sorts of creative ways, and Robinson responded with 104 catches and over 1300 yards of offense.

He could become the LA Rams version of Deebo Samuel, as the Wildcats used him in both the running game and as a dangerous pass receiver. He overcomes his smaller size with incredible elusiveness and agility and seldom gets knocked off his route in press-man coverage. In fact, the closer a DB tries to play coverage, the more dangerous Robinson becomes.

Like other smallish offensive skill players, I believe his value is late in Round 4, but that only means the Rams could select him at the end of Round 3. While the Rams already have Atwell, Robinson is a bigger and more physical version of that gnatish-type dual-threat niche player. Think Darren Sproles, Dave Meggett, or even Warrick Dunn.  In all honesty, Robinson is such a versatile player, and Coen is an excellent OC to take full advantage of him in the LA Rams offense.

I just hope that the LA Rams do not blow their first pick of the draft on another smallish receiver.