Wan'Dale Robinson on Good Morning Football
On Wednesday morning Kentucky wide receiver Wan'Dale Robinson had an opportunity to visit New York City for the first time. The occasion was an appearance on Good Morning Football on the NFL Network.
The studio crew touched on a number of topics ranging from Robinson's future in the NFL to his year at Kentucky and even his Pee Wee football career.
Here are excerpts from that conversation.
You transferred from Nebraska to Kentucky back home. What was the key to that?
Robinson: I would say due to, really, Coach Coen just coming to Kentucky and then I just feel like I was around my family a lot more, being comfortable and kinda feeling like I was back in high school a little bit. So Coach Coen brought a really good offense and just allowed me to do a lot of the things that I wanted to do and just allowed me to succeed and break a lot of records.
One of your favorite players growing up was Percy Harvin. People compare you to different players like Tyreek Hill and Deebo Samuel. Who would you say you most mimic?
Robinson: I would say those are two similar guys. I don't want to compare myself to anybody. I like to be my own player. At the end of the day I would like to take pieces of everybody's game, like those two guys, Cooper Kupp, just watching him all last year, being kind of in the same offense. So just guys like that and taking pieces from everybody's game and just trying to be the best receiver I can be.
Was there a moment or a play that stood out to you last season as special?
Robinson: I would say the last drive during the bowl game against Iowa. The last catch I had went down to the one-yard line and set us up for the game winning touchdown but just that whole drive and whole game was really, really crazy.
Because you were in Coach Coen's offense can that translate immediately to the NFL? Could we see, Day 1, Wan'Dale on the field?
Robinson: I definitely feel like that's the case. I mean, obviously you saw that I did it in college and I ran the same concepts that I'll have to run in the NFL so I'll have a step ahead of everybody just learning an offense and just allowing me to succeed and do the things that I did in college as well.
I've heard an urban legend that a referee asked you for an autograph after one of your Pee Wee games. Is that true?
Robinson: That's true. ... We actually went to Owensboro, Kentucky. It was kind of like a little all-star thing and we played teams from all around the state and we were in the championship game. We won the game and our referee came up to me and asked me for my autograph and at that point I was just kinda like, I looked at my mom and I didn't really know what to do, but he has a picture of it and she has a picture of it, too, so it's pretty exciting. I was like eight years old. ... They had a sharpie. They brought out a sharpie and I just signed it."
You have this quiet confidence and we can feel it. Teams are looking at you ... and they're feeling there's something special about Wan'Dale. Take a minute, look at that camera, and tell people why they should take you in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Robinson: I think you should take me because at the end of the day I feel like I'm the most versatile and talented offensive player in this draft. I'm not going to really talk about it or anything. I just want to come in and work. I'm going to do anything the team asks me to do. I'm going to be tough and at the end of the day just be reliable and the guy you need me to be."