San Francisco 49ers: 2016 NFL Draft Recap & Analysis

49ers Worst Pick: Rashard Robinson

Part of me wants to be uber-controverisal and clickbait-worthy by listing the 49ers’ other first-round pick, guard Joshua Garnett here, but I can’t bring myself to do it.

While I don’t think the 49ers should have given up what they did to go get him, and I feel that waiting and drafting inside linebacker Reggie Ragland with the 37th-overall pick would have been a wiser move, that’s not a slam on Garnett’s abilities; he’s the best pulling guard in the entire draft, even if his pass-protection can be considered Mike Iupati-esque.

No, I’m going with the 49ers’ first pick of day three for my worst selection, cornerback Rashard Robinson.

Where to begin?

First of all, I do admit cornerback was a need–a shutdown corner who could have bumped everyone down a slot in the draft was definitely something on everyone’s radar, especially considering how much general manager Trent Baalke loves his secondary players. But that need was addressed with the team’s third-round pick, when they took Will Redmond. Using another pick on Rashard Robinson rather than addressing needs at quarterback (Kevin Hogan of Stanford?), offensive line (Caleb Benenoch of UCLA?) or wide receiver (Jordan Payton of UCLA?) seems like an odd strategy.

In the last three years, then, Trent Baalke and staff have taken:

• Jimmie Ward (2014, 1st round)
• Dontae Johnson (2014, 4th round)
• Keith Reaser (2014, 5th round)
• Kenneth Acker (2014, 6th round)
• Jaquiski Tartt (2015, 2nd round)
• Will Redmond (2016, 3rd round)
• Rashard Robinson (2016, 4th round)
• Prince Charles Iworah (2016, 7th round)

That’s a lot of draft capital being spent in the secondary. I understand it’s an important position, but that’s a lot of time and effort spent in one spot.

Now, if Robinson was an exceptionally special talent, then that’s fine–just because, say, cornerback Keith Reaser was a pick two years ago doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try to improve the position. However, Rashard Robinson brings with him enough red flags to give even the most courageous drafting team pause.

Robinson is listed as being from LSU, but that’s generous. Robinson was suspended for the 2014 season opener for breaking undisclosed team rules, and then was suspended and missed the entire 2015 season, with LSU refusing to re-instate him. He reportedly failed a drug test and failed to meet academic standards in his time at LSU.

He was arrested last June for “unauthorized entry” into quarterback Anthony Jennings’ apartment, with things going missing from said apartment.

All these off-field issues means that Robinson only has eight career starts under his belt and hasn’t played organized football in 18 months. That’s a long time to be sitting and get rusty, and I think it says something LSU head coach Les Miles never gave Robinson a second chance at the university.

A former SEC defensive coach had this to say about Robinson:

"I’m not sure he’s a bad kid, but I know he hates school. He’s really tough — ­typical south Florida kid. You know what you get. The interviews will work themselves out for better or worse, but you keep things simple for him and let him chase one guy around the field all day. He’s really good at that."

Alright, he’s got red flags, but let’s put those aside for the moment–everyone deserves a chance to clear their name, he’ll be in a new situation in San Francisco, and maybe a fresh start will keep him out of trouble from now on; after all, linebackers NaVorro Bowman and Aaron Lynch came into the league with character concerns, and they’ve worked out fine. Is Robinson the player worth a fourth-round pick?

Watching his film, I don’t think so. He obviously doesn’t have the production you would like due to missing time, but even when he was on the field, I felt he had issues. He doesn’t have great playmaking instincts; he only has four passes broken up and one interception in those eight starts. His timing is poor, as well, turning around a split-second too late and letting receivers locate the ball before he does. He’s vulnerable to double-moves and head-fakes, and he’s small at only 171 pounds–tall, yes, but spindly, without the strength and mass you’re really looking for at the position. He’s not a physical player in run support, as a result.

His 40-yard dash time of 4.49 seconds is average for the position, but he got off slow, with a ten-yard split of 1.62 seconds. By comparison, Desmond Trufant’s 10-yard split was 1.47 seconds, and he’s 20 pounds heavier than Robinson.

It’s the same story for Jason Verrett and other top cornerbacks in the past few drafts; only seven cornerbacks had a slower start to their 40 than Robinson did. Scouting reports call him explosive, but he really doesn’t jump off tape to me. I see him as a backup with maybe potential to eventually crack a starting lineup, not a talent that you can count on to fill a hole. A depth player.

That’s not to say that he’s hopeless or anything of the sort. Any time you have a corner who’s 6’1″ with Robinson’s recovery speed, they have a chance in the NFL. If it weren’t for his off-field red flags, and the fact that the 49ers already addressed the position in an earlier round and a recent draft, I would say the pick would be average–a decent mix of risk and reward.

But when you add in all the situations surrounding the pick, his off-field issues, the team’s needs elsewhere, the fact that they hired an offensive coach and didn’t get him a skill position player until the sixth round…no, I don’t know if I get the Robinson selection at all. It feels two rounds too early, and I actually prefer five of the seven players the 49ers drafted after Robinson.

You can argue if offensive tackle John Theus was a bigger reach in the fifth round, or if Prince Charles Iowarh deserved to be drafted or not, but they were deeper in the draft. Robinson was the 49ers’ fourth pick, and it was too early to double-down on a position with a player who has not been able to stay on the field and produce.

Next: Most Surprising Move