Senior Bowl Report: So far, the Denard Robinson experiment is a major work in progres

[Feed Robot]

FAIRHOPE, Ala. -- Well, we knew it was going to be a process. When former Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson announced that he would enter the 2013 NFL Draft as a receiver, we knew it would take some time before Robinson, no matter how athletic he might be, would be able to show a comprehensive command of the position -- or even sparks of the ability to excel as a pass-catcher. After four days of Senior Bowl prep, it's pretty obvious that Robinson has a long way to go. Through the North team practices, Robinson has struggled mightily with the most basic elements of his new proposed position. Recruited as a potential cornerback or receiver by several colleges out of Deerfield Beach High School in Florida, Robinson instead went to Michigan to run Rich Rodriguez's spread offense as a running quarterback and eventually excelled under Brady Hoke as head coach and Al Borges as offensive coordinator. That's what he did before, and the results were spectacular at times. But this week in Mobile, Robinson has also proved when so many receivers new to the NFL have  told me through the years -- once to hit NFL-level talent, it's about much, much more than the ability to run fast. "The biggest thing for me was preparation," Jacksonville Jaguars receiver Cecil Shorts told me last week about that jump from college to the pros. "You're going up against guys who have been in the NFL for 7-8 years, and even longer with guys like Nate Clements or Ronde Barber. They've seen everything, and they're preparing for you, as well. When you come into the NFL, you have a target on your back, and people are fighting for their jobs. Guys don't know how to prepare, and they don't know how big a business this is." Robinson, for his part, is looking pretty iffy against college seniors who are playing together for the first time (except for Connecticut cornerbacks Dwayne Gratz and Blidi Wreh-Wilson, who are both on the North team defense) in mixed coverages, which makes one wonder what will become of him when -- and if -- people like Darrelle Revis, Charles Tillman, and Richard Sherman get their shots at him. Few question Robinson's athleticism -- after all, it's the same trait that allowed him to make play after astounding play on Saturday afternoons. But there's track speed, and there's receiver speed, and right now, Robinson doesn't know the difference. The 4.4-40 field burner actually looks slow on a number of routes, because his cuts aren't generally quick and he tends to drift a lot. Outside of the standard go route packages, he might engineer the occasional quick cut, or meander inside after clearing a safety as a midfield mark. But there is precious little evidence of the route concepts he'll need to succeed and survive in the NFL. More than once this week, the Oakland Raiders' coaching staff has had to reposition him at the line of scrimmage, and you don't get to do that mid-game when you're playing the Chicago Bears. Robinson doesn't sound to worried about the adaptation. On Tuesday, he talked about emulating Green Bay's Randall Cobb as an all-purpose threat at the NFL level, and he mentioned former Pittsburgh Steelers and Washington Redskins multi-position guy Antwaan Randle-El as an influence in the quarterback-to-receiver transition. He's also received advice from former teammates Roy Roundtree and Jeremy Gallon, his top two targets last season.

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