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Air Force wide receiver Jalen Robinette is making a lot of noise since his season ended for the Falcons. He went to the East-West Shrine game and blew away scouts and evaluators.
“It is easy to overlook a receiver in Air Force’s option offense, but Jalen Robinette deserves your attention. Averaging 27.4 yards per catch in 2016, the Ohio native has intriguing measureables with the footwork in his routes to get open down the field. Reminiscent of Jordan Matthews out of Vanderbilt, Robinette is also a very good blocker, which is what you would expect coming from a run-first offense.” — Dane Brugler, CBS Sports
That performance at the Shrine Game earned Robinette an invite to the more prestigious Senior Bowl. That will give him another chance to go up against better competition and more NFL scouts and coaches get a look at him.
Coming from Air Force it is very hard to find a wide receiver good enough to even be in discussion for the NFL due to the triple-option offense which limits the amount of chances he gets to show off his talents. Also, there are not many Cadets who are 6-foot-3.
The last Air Force wide receiver to have an impact in the NFL was Chad Hall who was only 5-foot-8 and was a do-everything player where he would run, catch and return kicks. He bounced around with various NFL teams from 2010-14.
Robinette could make some history by be the first player drafted from Air Force since 1999 when defensive end Bryce Fisher was taking in the seventh round by the Buffalo Bills.
His catch-rate is obviously low due to the few times Air Force throws the ball but when they do these are almost always huge plays.
Jalen Robinette stats
| ***** | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ***** | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 |
| Catches | 35 | 26 | 43 | 16 |
| Yards | 959 | 641 | 806 | 291 |
| Yards per catch | 27.4 | 24.65 | 18.74 | 18.19 |
| Touchowns | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 |
There can be a little bit said that the defenses cheat a bit on the run and focus less on Robinette the pass game, but he has done it enough to make defenders look silly.
His recent rise has pushed him into a few mock drafts that have the former Air Force wide receiver going in the second round, and the first Mountain West player taken off the board.
NFL.com has Robinette going 59th overall and to the Kansas City Chiefs. The other mock draft that has him so high is Fox Sports who have him going No. 62 to the Pittsburgh Steelers.