In the class of 2014, LSU running back Leonard Fournette and Texas A&M DE Myles Garrett battled for the title of No. 1 overall recruit. Fournette edged out the title overall, but another recruit was often mentioned as potentially being the best in the country: Alabama OT Cam Robinson. Browns pick Jabrill Peppers was also ranked in the top four.
Cam Robinson blocking for Leonard Fournette is a recruiting fan’s daydream
The Jaguars and Browns each picked two of 2014’s top four recruits. In Jacksonville, one could run behind the other.
Three years later, Garrett went No. 1 in the NFL draft to the Cleveland Browns, Fournette went No. 4 to the Jacksonville Jaguars, and Robinson followed at pick 34 as a contender to be one of Fournette’s new convoys.
I try to leave hyperbole out of my scouting reports. But for some players, it is deserved. Robinson is one of those players.
Essentially, Robinson is a high-level college tackle playing high school football. He is 6’5, 325 pounds and controls his massive frame like a player 10 years his senior. When I first saw Robinson, I thought he had to be much older than the typical high school senior. But he’s not; he turned 18 during his senior season.
Robinson is a prototype left tackle. He understands positioning, space, and angles, and I was very impressed by his ability to sit down and not overextend himself in pass protection. He maintains his balance and can quickly adjust.
And he moves extremely well when run blocking, showing the ability to bend, play low to high, and redirect. He has good leg drive, plenty of strength, and a solid punch.
Often, I will note that a player could start for a few college programs right now. With Robinson, the number of programs for which he would not start is quite small. He is one of the best offensive line recruits I have ever seen.
Now imagine that level of praise, but even more overwhelming nationwide, and you have the Fournette movement.
The two ended up playing for SEC West rivals, where Robinson’s Tide got the better of Fournette’s Tigers, thanks largely to Bama’s defense bottling up the runner. Robinson won the 2016 Outland Trophy, intended for the country’s best interior lineman, and Fournette was an annual Heisman contender.
In Jacksonville, Fournette faces a little bit less of a stacked deck — the Jags have struggled, but it’s not like the Colts get the No. 1 draft class every year, like Bama does — and he now has one of the most purely talented linemen ever on his side.
