Reactions to the Jets trading for Rashard Robinson

The Jets traded a fifth round Draft pick to the San Francisco 49ers for cornerback Rashard Robinson yesterday. Here are some of the reactions from the deal.

David Fucillo (Niners Nation)

David Fucillo who runs SB Nation’s 49ers site Niners Nation had the following to say about Robinson.

He's got great length, in terms of height and wing span. He is a bit undersized in terms of weight. He is very talented, but he has an issue with penalties. He currently leads the league with 10 penalties, and some of that might be due to his lack of weight. He can't get as physical with wide receivers as easily, and so he might have to grab more to avoid getting pushed too much off the line.

I think a fresh start should help, but I also think he needs to put on some weight. He did not play is final season at college due to off-field issues. The 49ers worked him in as their dime back in 2016, and promoted him to the nickel role that same year. He was promoted to the No. 1 spot this year, but was benched last week for rookie Ahkello Witherspoon. He got pissed on the sidelines at one point two weeks ago, so it is possible this was an inevitable result of that.

Jeremy Kerley (Jets wide receiver/Robinson’s former teammate with 49ers)

Jamal Adams (Jets safety/Robinson’s college teammate at LSU)

Todd Bowles (Jets head coach)

On trading for Rashard Robinson…

Did we?

On if he was aware of the trade…

I wasn’t aware of that, but I’ll go upstairs and check on it.

On what he knows about Robinson…

Nothing right now.

Matt Miller (Bleacher Report NFL Draft lead writer)

John B’s Thoughts

I can’t offer any conclusions as to whether this trade will ultimately be a success or a failure. Clearly it comes down to whether the Jets can develop Robinson and help him fix the flaws in his game. I can only speak to the theory behind the trade.

What I mean by that is determining whether this trade shows the type of big picture thought process that I think a successful team would follow.

On that front, I think the answer is a clear no. The NFL is littered with players who have “talent” and “just need to be developed.” Teams frequently fall in love with prospects and dismiss their flaws. They get overconfident in their ability to fix the flaws. Once a player arrives, the coaches and front office usually realize the flaws aren’t as easy to fix as they originally thought.

I don’t like the idea of the Jets being buyers at the trade deadline. I stated last week that the scenarios where the Jets should trade a Draft pick for a player are few and far between. Robinson does not fit the criteria of player I laid out for the type of player the Jets should be willing to deal a pick to obtain.

It’s entirely possible the Jets are right about this. Maybe they know better than everybody, and they can fix Robinson. I just don’t like the idea of a rebuilding team being a buyer at the deadline or giving up a pick for an ineffective player. It’s easy to say something like, “It’s only a fifth round pick. Who cares?” Well, a fifth round pick is something. The question shouldn’t be, “How valuable is a fifth round pick?” The question should be, “Is Robinson so much better than a young free agent that it was worth giving up something to obtain him?” There are free agents out there with talent who just need development and don’t cost a pick. There are also young cornerbacks already on the roster who have talent but need to be developed.