Allen Robinson, WR, 10th year, 6-3, 220 lbs.
The Steelers have made a deal with the Los Angeles Rams to acquire veteran wide receiver Allen Robinson II.
A former second-round draft pick of the Jaguars out of Penn State in 2014, Robinson didn't have an overwhelming NFL Scouting Combine in terms of straight-line speed, running a 4.6-second 40-yard dash.
But he posted a 1.53-second 10-yard split, a 7.00-second three-cone drill to go along with a 39-inch vertical jump, showing explosion and the ability to go get the football.
That has proven to be the case in the NFL, as Robinson, despite suffering a season-ending foot injury in 2014 and a torn ACL in 2017, has posted solid numbers over the course of his career.
Despite some shaky quarterback play around him at times throughout his career, Robinson has had more than 73 receptions on four different occasions in his career. He's also topped 1,000 receiving yards three times and has been over 750 receiving yards in five seasons.
Robinson signed a three-year deal last season to join the Rams after playing on the Franchise Tag in 2021 for the Bears. He appeared in 10 games, all of them starts, while catching 33 passes for 339 yards and three touchdowns. But quarterback Matthew Stafford was playing through an injured elbow for nine of those starts that eventually landed him on injured reserve, as well.
A downfield threat, Robinson has averaged 12.8 yards per catch in his career, including an NFL-best 17.5 yards per catch average in 2015. He has 528 receptions for 6,748 yards in his career.
He's done his best work in recent years on intermediate routes, catching 15 of 22 passes that traveled at least 10 yards downfield but were less than 20 yards. He averaged 13.5 yards per target on those targets.
Seven of those targets were contested throws, and Robinson came down with five of those.
By comparison, last season, Steelers rookie wide receiver George Pickens caught six of his eight contested throws.
Robinson also caught 17 of 20 passes thrown to him last season over the middle, posting 191 yards on those catches.
Robinson is considered an above-average run blocker at the wide receiver position, drawing a 68.9 grade in that facet of his game from Pro Football Focus in 2022.
Robinson gives the Steelers a third receiver capable of working over the middle of the field who also can serve as a blocker on the edge.
In addition, he can help serve as a mentor to Pickens, whose skill set as a player capable of outfighting defensive backs is similar to that of Robinson in his younger days.
Robinson also aligned in the slot in 2022 on 153 of his 563 snaps played. He gives the Steelers a bigger-bodied wide receiver to utilize in packages with Pickens and Diontae Johnson, while allowing the team to mix in second-year pro Calvin Austin if it so chooses.
Over the past five years, Robinson has lined up in the slot anywhere between 28.9 percent and 41.3 percent of the time. And, as one of the better blocking receivers in the league, he can certainly be utilized in that aspect to help in the run game while also providing a dependable target for Kenny Pickett.
• Dale Lolley is co-host of "SNR Drive" on Steelers Nation Radio. Subscribe to the podcast here: Apple Podcast | iHeart Podcast
