The Indianapolis Colts were more than happy to select Mississippi State running back Josh Robinson in the fifth round of the 2015 NFL Draft. General manager Ryan Grigson had his eye on Robinson throughout the entire draft, and was ecstatic that he was still around with the 205th overall pick. Indianapolis played their first preseason game yesterday afternoon against the Philadelphia Eagles, and Robinson showed why the Colts had him targeted.
Robinson ended up recording 44 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries, while also catching a pass for 11 yards.
That performance was a very intriguing game by the rookie, and it showed the Colts exactly what they were hoping to see. Frank Gore was signed in free agency to be the go-to running back for the next couple seasons at least, and Robinson is a very similar player to him. Learning from him over the next couple seasons will take Robinson’s game to the next level, and he is already capable of making an impact as a rookie.
At 5-foot-8 and 217 pounds, Robinson brings a lot of physicality to the field. He is a deceptively fast running back as well, and is capable of becoming an every down back with more work and learning from the Colts’ coaching staff.
While it was only one preseason game, he showed the potential to be the Colts’ future at the running back position. He has every physical ability to become an every down back, and will be taken under Gore’s wing moving forward. That is exactly what he needed to take the next step, and it is going to be very intriguing to watch him grow over the next few seasons.
Watching him during his career at Mississippi State was special, and he was one of their main leaders last season. He showed off his strong work ethic each and every season by making huge jumps forward and that hasn’t stopped now that he is getting his NFL career underway.
Chuck Pagano and the Colts’ coaching staff has been very good at developing young talent over the past few seasons. They have built a young roster up into what is expected to be a legitimate Super Bowl contender. It is that development that gives Robinson even more hope to become a starter at some point in the future with the Colts.
All of that being said, it will be very interesting to see what ends up happening over the next few seasons with Robinson. He is exactly the type of young player that teams can depend on to take big steps in his first few seasons. Robinson is going to be an ideal teammate as well, and will be ready if Pagano ever decides to call his number during a regular season game in 2015.
