New York Giants wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson received an unexpected shout-out on February 15, courtesy of Dallas Cowboys rival CeeDee Lamb.
While joining teammate Micah Parsons on “The Edge” — Parsons’ Bleacher Report podcast — Lamb was asked to name his current top five at the WR position.
After some deliberation, his choices were Las Vegas Raiders’ Davante Adams, Miami Dolphins’ Tyreek Hill, Buffalo Bills’ Stefon Diggs, Cincinnati Bengals’ Ja’Marr Chase and Minnesota Vikings’ Justin Jefferson in no particular order. All fair selections.
Before Lamb got to Jefferson, however, he took a moment to highlight a “sleeper” wide receiver talent that has caught his attention — Robinson.
“You know who’s really a sleeper though,” Lamb noted, “if you just watch film… Wan’Dale Robinson from New York. He’s so fast. He’s so fast, but he’s so nice. His routes [are] crazy.”
The Cowboys playmaker made sure to acknowledge that Robinson isn’t a top-five NFL WR at this time — which goes without saying considering his resume — before adding that he has his eye on him in the future. He also pointed out that the Giants didn’t have their starting quarterback, Daniel Jones, for a large chunk of the 2023 season.
Did CeeDee cook? 👀 pic.twitter.com/8UIl3RF4L4
— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) February 15, 2024
Parsons did not comment on the honorable mention but did nod his head as Lamb spoke.
Giants WR Wan’Dale Robinson Named ‘Early Breakout’ by PFF
Lamb isn’t the only one that has their eye on Robinson. Pro Football Focus analyst Jonathon Macri named the 2022 second rounder as the Giants’ “early breakout” on January 26.
“After tearing his ACL in his rookie season, Robinson returned as a more stable part of the Giants’ offense in 2023,” he reasoned. “His 76 targets tied for the team lead with Darius Slayton despite appearing in two fewer games, and he finished with the fourth-highest catch rate (78.9%) among the league’s wide receivers (min. 20% of targets).”
“The Giants currently have five pending free agents at the position heading into the 2024 offseason, which could allow Robinson to contribute even further in Year 3,” Macri concluded.
Robinson definitely took a nice leap from his rookie campaign in 2023 — and that was without a full healthy offseason to get going. He finished with 60 receptions for 525 yards last year, adding another 87 yards as a rusher (plus two total touchdowns).
That was a considerable improvement after a rookie season that was largely lost to injury, although Robinson did average slightly more yards per game over his six 2022 appearances.
A healthy campaign with one quarterback under center would be very helpful for Robinson’s overall development as a wide receiver.
Giants Must Figure Out How to Stop CeeDee Lamb, Cowboys
Lamb didn’t include himself in his top five WR ranking, but he’s definitely in the running. The Cowboys pass-catcher finished the regular season with 1,749 receiving yards in 2023, which was second only to Hill.
He also torched the Giants once again — racking up 228 yards over their two matchups. The second outing, Lamb actually caught 11-of-14 targets with one rushing TD and another receiving, reinforcing the theme that Big Blue can’t seem to beat Dallas in recent years.
In 2022, the Cowboys went 2-0 over the Giants again as Lamb put up another 193 receiving yards.
It’s becoming painfully clear that to stop Dallas, the G-Men must first figure out how to contain Lamb. Deonte Banks will likely be a big part of that formula going forward, considering the Giants spent a first-round selection on the Maryland cornerback in 2023.
