The Panthers addressed the secondary yet again and took the first XFL player in the draft, selecting former West Virginia safety Kenny Robinson with the No. 152 pick.
Robinson is a pro-ready safety who brings some interesting traits to the team. Let’s dive into his evaluation a little deeper.
Strengths:
Robinson is a physically imposing safety who stands at 6-foot-2, 205 pounds. It is important to note that he did not receive a combine invite because he played professional football in the XFL with the St. Louis Battlehawks.
However, his strong athletic traits clearly show up on his tape. Robinson is essentially a cornerback in a safety’s body, as he has tremendous hip fluidity and very strong footwork. He covers well in both man and zone and has excellent ball skills at the catch point. Robinson is very aggressive – almost too aggressive – in his anticipation of jumping routes and flying to the ball. He also displays a super quick trigger to close on the ball. The best thing about his game is he will be able to play single high, up in the box as a strong safety and even contribute at nickel. Single high will probably be his best projection, though.
Weaknesses:
Robinson has some pop, but is not a great tackler. He needs to get better at wrapping up to be an effective tackler at the next level. He will also need to work on his discipline, as Robinson often shoots for interceptions and big hits too often instead of just playing the ball.
It is also worth noting that Robinson was kicked out of West Virginia for academic fraud. Some coaches completely removed him from their board, but he certainly has a ton of talent.
Fit with the Panthers:
It is a bit questionable why the Panthers picked another safety. However, Robinson is one heck of a value at this point in the draft. He is a Week 1 starter at safety and he can play single high, up in the box, or even at nickel for defensive coordinator Phil Snow. With this pick, it looks like the defense will be mixing it up in their sub packages with Jeremy Chinn at linebacker and Robinson at safety. It also allows them to play more cover 3, as they now have three strong zone coverage safeties on their roster. This means Juston Burris will most likely be transitioning back to outside corner.
