Will Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson, above, continue to throw passes in the NFL?
Archive photo from AnnArbor.com
Mel Kiper Jr. think Dennis Robinson doesn’t have to play quarterback in the NFL.
A sports site predicts — even if it’s a bit playful — that the Michigan football The team’s dynamic quarterback will be a first-round pick of the Carolina Panthers in the 2013 NFL Draft.
As an “athlete”.
“Between Cam Newton, Joe Adams, Steve Smith and Robinson (he’s not an NFL QB), the Panthers will be exciting,” TheBigLead.com Jason McIntyre wrote Tuesday. “Besides, it’s a choice for the sake of it, it will never happen.
“It’s way too early to tell if Shoelaces is a first-round pick.”
Robinson’s future in the NFL has been a hot topic of debate for some time now, but the pressing question isn’t really where he will be taken. It’s the place where he will play once he arrives that seems to generate the most interest.
On Monday, Kiper — an ESPN analyst — told reporters via conference call that the 6-foot, 195-pound Robinson has ‘no chance’ of playing quarterback after his college career ends next season.
Kiper suggested Robinson accept that fact and go all-in as a wide receiver once Michigan’s 2012 campaign is over.
Robinson has publicly stated that he would like to pursue a career as a quarterback in the NFL, telling the Associated Press during an interview in March.
After a reporter asked him last season if he felt like he could catch a pass during a game, Robinson quickly responded that he wasn’t sure.
He never did.
“I’ll tell you this, I’ve never caught a ball before. I’ve always been behind center,” Robinson said at the time. “I’ve never caught a ball during a game.”
Weighing nearly 200 pounds and with a high school 40-yard dash time clocked at 4.32 seconds, Robinson will likely have a future in the NFL in some capacity.
What could it be, exactly? This remains unclear.
What is abundantly clear, however, is Robinson’s immediate future as Michigan’s starting quarterback. Which seems to be more than enough.
For now.
Nick Baumgardner covers Michigan sports for AnnArbor.com. He can be contacted at 734-623-2514, by email at [email protected] and followed on Twitter @nickbaumgardner.
