The 2021 NFL Draft Cornerback class is a good one. At the top, you have the three superstars being Patrick Surtain II, Caleb Farley (you can read our scouting report on Farley here), and Jaycee Horn. Fortunately, there are plenty of other cornerbacks in the draft that can be starters on day one. One of those players is Aaron Robinson.
Make sure to check out all of our other 2021 NFL Draft Scouting Reports.
Player Bio
Name: Aaron Robinson
Jersey: #31
Position: Cornerback
School: UCF
Class: Redshirt Senior
Height: 6’0”
Weight: 190 lbs
Man Coverage (8.5/10)
Robinson is one of the best man coverage cornerbacks in the draft. He is step for step with the receivers off the line of scrimmage and mirrors their movement. Robinson does get grabby sometimes, as seen in the Senior Bowl practices. If he gets away from this tendency, he will be great in this facet.
Zone Coverage (7.75/10)
Robinson is solid in zone coverage. He has a decent feel for the field but will get in trouble reading false keys and giving space to receivers in his area as a result of reading those keys. Robinson can anticipate routes most of the time when he feels plays out and doesn’t put too much time into reading the backfield.
Change of Direction (7.5/10)
Even in man coverage, it’s fairly easy to see that Robinson has some issues changing direction. It takes him some time to readjust to the route as a result of his tight hips.
Ball Skills (9.25/10)
It might be weird seeing a player with only one interception rate so high in this regard. The stats don’t tell the true story. At all. Robinson has great ball skills. He had 15 pass deflections over the last two seasons and was a lot better in this regard from 2019 to 2020.
Fluidity (8.25/10)
He can be very grabby when he gets behind in the routes. This can be as a result of his tight hips or him looking into the backfield on false keys.
Run Support (8.25/10)
Robinson is a very willing tackler. He’s eager to tackle. He isn’t afraid to do some dirty work. The aspect that is holding this back is his ability to get off blocks. Once he is held on by the receiver, it is difficult for him to get off of the block. The receivers can control him at the line of scrimmage when they get their hands on him.
Tackling (9/10)
When he’s able to get off the block or has a free lane to the ball-carrier, Robinson is a great tackler. He wraps up well and fights through the ball-carrier to complete the tackle. No shoulder tackles to be seen. His tackling is one of the best traits of his game.
Route Recognition (8.25/10)
Solid here. Good job identifying it in man but struggles sometimes in zone coverage. Struggles to diagnose routes when in zone and doesn’t have a feel for where the receivers are if he isn’t locked into them when the receiver enters his zone.
Athleticism (8/10)
Solid athlete. He’s not a speedster and can get burnt deep by quicker receivers. Robinson has good closing speed to break up passes and can make up ground lost quickly.
Confidence (5/5)
Scrappy. Aggressive. Both of these words can be used to describe Robinson’s game. He is one of the better cornerbacks in the country and will let you know about it. Robinson isn’t afraid to tackle.
Injury (4.75/5)
Freak concussion in 2018, where he was knocked unconscious on the opening kickoff of the season. No issues besides that.
Player Summary
Robinson is one of the best pure slot cornerbacks in the class. He can play outside as well, but his home will be in the slot. He doesn’t have any big weaknesses. If anything, his zone coverage and top-end speed are his biggest weaknesses in his game. Teams that run a lot of man coverage in the back-end of round one and early part of round two will covet him. He can start immediately in Week 1 in the slot. Robinson can also play as a boundary cornerback for whatever team is lucky enough to select him in the 2021 draft.
Final Grade (84.5/100): Early Second-Round
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