The Las Vegas Raiders made a flurry of moves this offseason, on both sides of the ball. A couple of those involved some big-name players, but some under-the-radar signings have the potential to surprise fans this year. One underrated player who could make a big impact is wide receiver, Demarcus Robinson.
Robinson is an enticing player, and he’s a huge threat down the field. Standing at six-foot-one and 203 lbs., Robinson has some nice size for a receiver, and it combines well with his athleticism. He’s 27 and will be entering his seventh year in the NFL.
Demarcus Robinson’s 2021 Season
Demarcus has spent all six years of his career with the Kansas City Chiefs. Last year, his final one in Kansas City, Robinson played in every game on the calendar but found himself too deep in the depth chart to make a real impact. In total, Robinson caught 25 of his 41 targets, good enough for 264 yards and three touchdowns.
Robinson’s best performance last season came in the Chiefs’ 31-13 win in Washington. Robinson had 46 yards on three catches, good enough for a little over 15 yards per reception. He scored a touchdown, and his longest reception was 24 yards.
His worst performance came in their Thursday night win over the Los Angeles Chargers. Although his team played well, Robinson was a bit of a no-show. The only number on Demarcus’ stat sheet from that night was his three targets, none of which he caught.
Demarcus Robinson’s 2022 Outlook
Robinson’s Chiefs career ended with him having a lack of targets, and his Raiders careers may prove to be a similar issue. The Raiders have several high-talent wide receivers on their depth chart at the moment. Davante Adams, Hunter Renfrow, and Darren Waller will all likely receive far more targets than Robinson.
The good news for Robinson is that after those three, he should be the next in line. There isn’t another receiver on the depth chart, barring those three, that is more talented than Robinson.
Robinson’s sheer talent as a deep threat makes him valuable to this offense, and it’s a skill the Raiders dearly missed during their playoff push last season. Another aspect that may help Demarcus is the Raiders’ new offensive scheme. Josh McDaniels was an offensive mastermind in New England, and he’ll bring that prowess to Sin City. McDaniels was excellent at using gadget players just like Robinson, so it’s fair to expect a good number of opportunities to head Demarcus’s way.
Stat Prediction
Based on his previous seasons, Robinson’s 2022 campaign likely won’t jump off the stat sheet. Still, it’s fair to expect a reasonable increase from last season as he enters an offense that will likely send more passes his way. Overall, Robinson won’t be a major part of this offense. What Demarcus will do is offer Las Vegas an excellent deep threat down the field, and he should be involved in a lot of trick plays.
Demarcus Robinson’s 2022 Stat Prediction: 30 receptions, 315 yards, and five touchdowns.
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*Top Photo: Chris Unger/Getty Images