Welcome to Purple Jesus Diaries’ 2012 NFL Draft-or-Bust Off where we cover all items related to the 2012 NFL Draft as pertains to the Minnesota Vikings. At this point in the year, we will continue reviewing this crop of draft picks. We’ve already looked at Matt Kalil and Harrison Smith, and today we introduce you to the Minnesota Vikings’ top cornerback pick in the 2012 draft, Central Florida’s Josh Robinson …
WHO? Josh Robinson, cornerback, Central Florida. An unsuspecting name brings BLAZING SPEED!!! Seriously, Josh Robinson? Why not John Joe? Or Gray Blake? Or something else super generic. Whatever, I’m being childish because with this name he’s pretty much anonymous anywhere he goes, which would be cool. Like the real invisible man. Obviously, the hope is that he doesn’t actually BECOME an invisible man on the football field, like Asher Allen doing something good. At 5’10” and 199 pounds, Robinson does come in on the smaller size, BUT DON’T LET THAT FOOL YOU. He was also the guy who clocked the fastest speed at the combine, pulling a 4.29 40-yard dash at the combine and paired it with a 38.5 inch vertical leap. Insert a “Not Bad” face here.
However, Central Florida? Why can’t we draft players in the 3rd round from the SEC, a conference that beats the shit out of people? … Although, now that I think about it, the last time we did that we DID end up with Asher Allen, soo ……..
POTENTIAL NICKNAMES: Naturally, Robinson’s speed brings Speedy Gonzalez images to mind. So, Speedy, Speedy Gonzalez, Speedy Robinson, Speed Dealer, The Flash, Quicksilver, and others. Mr. Robinson’s Neighborhood works well, too, as does “Here’s to You, Mr. Robinson.” OR! We could always use “Josh.” Up to you guys. Let’s hear your ideas in the comments.
HE BE TWEETING? Yes. Follow him on Twitter, @20JROB.
THE GOODNESS: On the plus side, Robinson is an obvious speed guy. His 4.29 40 is clearly a positive, especially in a zone scheme where he’ll need to use that speed to cover up the coverage mistakes of Chad Greenway in the flats, or Jamarca Sanford at the safety position. His athleticism is noticeable, and apparently has good change of direction which, again, is helpful in a zone scheme where you have to adjust to defenders swooping by you. Also, I’m pretty sure “Change of direction” just means he has super fluid hips, which sounds sexy, and likely means he’s a great salsa dancer. Spielman also noted that as a Junior coming out early, he’s not afraid to offer run support either, which is always nice to see from a young guy. I would love to see him turn into Winfield the Second, but the odds of the Minnesota Vikings drafting a solid cornerback that doesn’t lose both his knees seems slim to none. Hope he turns out.
THE BAD NEWS BEARS: The real problem is that Robinson was likely drafted as an eventual starter when Winfield retires/moves to safety/becomes the first competent head coach since Bud Grant for the Vikings. If that’s the case, I want to hurl my lunch at the thought of Robinson matched up against Greg Jennings, Calvin Johnson, or Brandon Marshall. Are you kidding me? Robinson will get treated like Kathy Griffin out there; beaten and spit upon because no one likes her and hates her ugly face and self important attitude. ….. That actually has nothing to do with Robinson, really, I just fucking hate Kathy Griffin. Point being, it’s a tough match-up for our future-starting cornerback. “But won’t Chris Cook match up with those guys eventually? He’s big!” Yeah, and also beats the shit out of women, so I don’t know how this works out.
FINAL VERDICT? I know nothing about Robinson, so it’s hard for me to say. He’s small, fast, and is supposed to be probably our 3rd best cornerback on the team already in a pass-heavy division, with Winfield already penned in to move to the nickel spot. It’s a recipe for failure, to me, and it’s a bit discouraging that the team didn’t do more to try and address the cornerback position in the draft. Is speed enough to turn the unit around? Did Spielman look at the roster and decide that safety help was more important? Why not draft another cornerback with potential like Dennard when you could (Robert Blanton doesn’t count since they’ve already talked about moving him to safety)? It just seems weird.
This, of course, is where the argument for drafting Morris Claiborne comes in, but I can’t fault the team for taking Kalil, either. I’m actually happy they did. I just want my cake and to stuff my face with it too. Instead, we got a left tackle and his hot mom. That I can deal with.
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