Where Will CB Aaron Robinson Fit on Giants Defense?

Aaron Robinson, Defensive Back

Height: 6-foot-1 | Weight: 193 pounds
2022 Stats: GS 2 / GP 2, 6 tackles (5 solo), 1 pass deflected

New York Giants cornerback Aaron Robinson has all the talent and pedigree to become a successful defender in the NFL. But the one thing he hasn't been able to give the team in his first two seasons as a pro has been his availability.

A Deerfield Beach, Florida native and former four-star recruit, Robinson heard his name called by the Giants during the 2021 NFL Draft when he was selected 71st overall in the third round. He signed a four-year rookie contract with the team shortly after and is entering his third rodeo after the first two were uneventful and marred with health obstacles.

Robinson started the season on the reserve/PUP list in his debut campaign and was not reactivated until early November 2021. Then, last fall, an appendix procedure kept him off the field for two games before he subsequently went on the injured reserve list with a knee injury in October.

Add it all up, and that comes to 11 games played, 32 tackles, and four deflected passes for the All-American Athletic Conference player who used to be a ballhawk at the college ranks.

After initially committing to Florida for his college ball, Robinson reversed his decision and attended the University of Alabama, where he spent his freshmen season as a reserve corner and special teams contributor for 13 games. He transferred to UCF in 2017 and remained there until 2020, when he had 54 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, three interceptions, and 10 deflected passes in his junior year and made second-team All-AAC the season.

Best Case Scenario

Like other positions on the roster, the Giants' cornerbacks have been reloaded with talent from the free-agent market and the 2023 draft. If history repeats itself with the performances of the returning players and the new faces shine out in camp.

That said, Robinson, who was projected as one of the starting outside cornerbacks last year until injuries did him in, could find himself in the mix at the slot position, where his height and length give defensive coordinator Wink Martindale a taller, more physical option to insert against teams that line up a bigger receiver or tight end in the slot.

Worst Case Scenario

Robinson, when he's played, has been much more susceptible to poor coverage against the passing attack, and that is an element that the Giants can’t afford from their ballhawks in an interior blitz-heavy system that needs them to fill gaps and maintain a hold on the deep field.

Per Pro Football Focus, Robinson posted grades below 60 in both pass rush and coverage defense during his rookie season and improved those numbers to 73.2 in 2022. However, he still averaged a 54.5% opponent reception rate in that span and allowed 10.1 yards per reception and 73 yards after the catch in limited snaps.

That aside, he hasn’t been very productive anywhere on the field in two campaigns with New York. Again, a large part of that has been due to injuries, which, should the injury bug strike again, the Giants might need to rethink whether this young man has a future playing for them.

What to Expect in 2023?

Since the team drafted him two years ago, there hasn’t been much from Robinson when he's been on the field that jumps off the screen and makes one think he is a definitive cornerback of the future.

That said, teams usually don't give up on talent, and it's unlikely they'll give up on Robinson this year. Whereas it's unlikely Robinson will be one of the starting outside cornerbacks unless there is an injury to either Jackson or Deonte Banks, Robinson will likely fall back on his college experience as a slot cornerback where, again, he'll line up in certain situations warranting a bigger, more physical player to neutralize the opposing slot receiver's threat.