Jacksonville Jaguars general manager David Caldwell feels like a genius after his decision to select offensive lineman Cam Robinson in the first round of this year’s NFL Draft.
Jacksonville, who has not been to the playoffs since 2007, stands at 10-4 and is now one to two victories from clinching an AFC South Division title for the first time since 1999; when the division was known as the AFC Central.
Despite quarterback Mark Brunell and head coach Tom Coughlin being the anchors of that 14-2 squad, Doug Marrone and Robinson headline this one.
Upon getting the nod to start at left tackle, Robinson went to work blocking for running back Leonard Fournette and others in the backfield. Hailing from Monroe, La., the former University of Alabama standout and consensus All-American cleared the way for Fournette to have 923 rushing yards (eighth in NFL) and eight touchdowns (tied for third in league) on 231 carries.
He opened lanes for five 100-yard games from Fournette – including an outing against Pittsburgh on Oct. 8, where the ex-LSU star recorded 181 yards rushing with two touchdowns (long of 90 yards) on 28 attempts. In diving into the aerial attack, Robinson has kept fourth-year quarterback Blake Bortles upright, to a tune of 3,147 yards with 19 touchdowns to just eight interceptions.
He has completed 61 percent of his throws and carries a passer rating of 89.7, both standing as career-highs for the first-round pick of the 2014 draft from the University of Central Florida.
Behind Robinson, Bortles turned in three 300-yard passing performances – with his best showing coming in Sunday’s matchup versus Houston. He completed 21 of 29 passes for 326 yards with three touchdowns in a 45-7 victory.
When one stacks up Jacksonville’s offensive production with the rest of the NFL, it clearly sees Robinson’s impact as a rookie.
Under Marrone’s leadership, the 2016 Outland and Jacobs Blocking Trophy (Southeastern Conference) winner has the Jaguars at sixth in the league in total offense (5,154 yards, 368.1 ypg), first in rushing offense (2,087 yards, 149.1 ypg) and fourth in scoring offense (26.7 ppg).
Before pursuing a pro career, Robinson was a dominant lineman for the Crimson Tide from 2014-16. He blocked for two 1,000-yard backs (Derrick Henry, Damien Harris), one 2,000-yard rusher (Derrick Henry), one Heisman winner (Derrick Henry), two 3,000-yard quarterbacks (Blake Sims, Jacob Coker) and the 2016 SEC Offensive Player of the Year (Jalen Hurts).
He was a cornerstone piece behind three conference championships and a College Football Playoff national title in 2015, and now Robinson is helping Jacksonville make history.
Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @Smsmith_TDALMag.
