A star QB in college, Denard Robinson was the first ever “Offensive Weapon” drafted into the NFL.
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Jacksonville Jaguars leading rusher Denard Robinson said he feels he should be the team’s starting RB and not have to immediately lose his position to a rookie in the upcoming draft.
“I think I should be a No. 1 guy,” Robinson told the Florida Times-Union. “That’s how I have to look at it. But I have to show them that. Words don’t mean anything. It’s all about showing them.
A 5th-round pick by the Jaguars in 2013, Robinson was designated as an “Offensive Weapon” by the team after drafting him, since he did not fit the traditional mold of a RB or WR, nor did he fit the role of a possible NFL QB, even though he played QB for three seasons at the University of Michigan and finished 6th in the Heisman Trophy voting in 2010. He is the only QB in Michigan history to finish his career with over 6,000 passing yards and 4,000 rushing yards.
Robinson led the Jaguars with 582 rushing yards in 2014 but had to split carries with designated starter Toby Gerhart.
“It’s big,” Robinson said. “I want to show the team they can count on me. Last year, I showed growth so people could say, ‘That’s not the same Denard. It’s night and day.’ This year, I want them to say, ‘Man, Denard has grown even more.’
“My thing is, I’m going to put my hard hat on every day and come to work,” he added. “No matter what they do — if they draft a running back or they don’t, I’ll come here and really work.”
The 2015 NFL draft features a pair of 2,000 yard rushers from 2014: Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon and Indiana’s Tevin Coleman, along with playmaking Georgia’s Todd Gurley and several RBs with top-end explosiveness including Boise State’s Jay Ajayi, Minnesota’s David Cobb, Miami’s Duke Johnson, Michigan State’s Jeremy Langford and Nebraska’s Ameer Abdullah. Many of them are projected to be drafted in the first three rounds.
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