Philadelphia Eagles: Kenny Robinson could be the XFL’s legacy
While the Philadelphia Eagles are more or less set at safety in 2020, West Virginia turned XFL safety Kenny Robinson could be a steal for the right price.
Howie Roseman has a thing for West Virginia Mountaineers.
Since returning to power in 2016 after the Philadelphia Eagles‘ one-year power ‘chip’ from ex-head coach Chip Kelly, Roseman has selected more players from West Virginia than any other school in the NCAA, even though only one of those players, Rasul Douglas, remains with the team in 2020.
Why is this fun fact relevant? Well, there just so happens to be a safety available in the 2020 NFL Draft with a ton of upside who just so happens to have a history with the Mountaineers from 2017-18.
2017-18 you say? What about in 2019?
That, my friends, is where things get interesting.
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A three-star recruit out of Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania, Kenny Robinson played two fantastic seasons at West Virginia under then-head coach Dana Holgorsen where he racked up 84 solo tackles, seven interceptions, seven passes defensed, and a forced fumble in 23 games of action.
Had Robinson remained with the team in 2019 for his junior season, he very well may be the top safety on the board in the 2020 class above the likes of Xavier McKinney, Grant Delpit, and Antoine Winfield, but unfortunately, that just wasn’t meant to be.
After being dismissed from the team for a ‘student conduct violation‘, Robinson opted to sign a contract with the then-promising upstart XFL over transferring to a lower-level program in order to help pay for his mother’s cancer treatment.
Granted, that decision didn’t age particularly well, as the XFL just filed for bankruptcy after less than a season of operation, but who could have predicted that would happen… again.
In his first, last, and only season playing for the St. Louis Battlehawks – a name not as cool as the Seattle Dragons, but better than the LA Wildcats – Robinson played like the league’s presumptive defensive MVP. Almost exclusively deployed as a deep, free safety, Robinson recorded two picks, a sack, and 21 tackles in five games of action as the last line of defense in Jay Hayes’ defense.
Needless to say, had Robinson been a free agent like literally every other XFL player when the season ended and the league folded, there would have been a serious bidding war for the 21-year-old’s services, but due to a weird NFL rule, that’s not the case. Because Robinson is technically only three years out of high school and would have been a junior this season, he is eligible for the draft, and would only become a free agent if he somehow lasts seven rounds without being selected.
Fortunately – or maybe not so in his case – Robinson won’t last that long.
While personally, I find the idea of Robinson being drafted in the first round rather preposterous, as he was kicked out of West Virginia for a reason, there is a ton to like about Robinson’s game when you pop in his combination NCAA/XFL tape. Measuring in at 6-foot-2, 198 pounds, Robinson hits like a linebacker, runs like a wide receiver, and plays the ball in coverage like a cornerback, and that versatility allowed him to make plays all over the Mountaineers’ then-coverage-focused defensive backfield. Robinson was also effectively utilized as an occasional blitzer in the Battlehawks’ defensive scheme, even if he only picked up one sack and two tackles for a loss.
In this modern-era of spread offense, having a 6-foot-2 defensive back who can cover everyone from a slot receiver, to a tight end, running back, and even a perimeter receiver is beyond valuable, regardless of what position he’s technically listed at.
With Jalen Mills and Will Parks set to hit the open market in 2021 and Rodney McLeod following suit in 2022, the Eagles really don’t have a long-term plan at safety moving forward. If the team were to land Robinson in the 2020 NFL Draft, probably for a third or fourth-round pick, his presence would instantly increase the level of competition in the safeties room and allow the cream to rise to the top as early as Week 1.
Heck, Robinson’s skill set is so unique that he could probably replace Malcolm Jenkins‘ role as a do-it-all hybrid box safety role in Jim Schwartz‘s scheme with a year or two of seasoning.
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After going on an all-out spending spree in free agency to rebuild their secondary, the Philadelphia Eagles probably aren’t going to invest a premium draft pick on a defensive back, especially a safety. However, if a player like Kenny Robinson starts to fall and he’s clearly the best player available when the team goes on the clock on Day 3, you kind of have to take him, right? Regardless of Howie Roseman’s feelings for the great state of West Virginia, Robinson is one of the clear-cut best safeties in the 2020 NFL Draft, and if he can be had on a deal due to his unusual path to the draft, why not bring the 21-year-old home to continue his professional playing career?