Stats, facts and fit: New Jaguars RB/KR Keilan Robinson

Eyeing their stated need for a second return specialist in the wake of the NFL’s installment of new kickoff rules this offseason, Jacksonville utilized its second fifth-round pick in the 2024 NFL draft to select Texas running back and return specialist, Keilan Robinson.

Jaguars Wire analyzes Jacksonville’s selection of Robinson below, reviewing his background, college stats, NFL combine results, projected fit in Jacksonville’s special teams and offense, and what he said after being picked.

Keilan Robinson, RB, Texas

Background

From Washington, D.C., Robinson was a consensus four-star prospect from St. John’s College High School’s class of 2019. He signed with Alabama and spent over one season with the Crimson Tide, appearing in eight games, before opting out and redshirting the 2020 campaign amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Robinson transferred to Texas before the 2021 season, reuniting with former Alabama offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian and emerging as the Longhorns’ kickoff return specialist from 2022-23, in addition to his responsibilities as a complementary rushing option.

He appeared in 37 games with Texas in total, making five starts at running back, and finished his career with the ninth-most kickoff return yards in school history, 897.

College stats

via Texas Sports, Alabama Athletics and Pro Football Focus 

• 116 rushing attempts
• 796 rushing yards
• Eight touchdowns
• 35 receptions
• 332 receiving yards
• Three receiving touchdowns
• 919 kickoff return yards
• 23.6 yards per kickoff return average
• 47 punt return yards
• 23.5 yards per punt return average
• Two special teams touchdowns (kickoff return, blocked punt return)
• Blocked punt for a safety

NFL combine results

via MockDraftable 

• 5-foot-8 and 3/8-inch (13th percentile among running backs at the NFL combine since 1999)
• 191 pounds (5th percentile)
• 30 and 5/8-inch arm length (40th percentile)
• 74 and 3/8-inch wingspan (53rd percentile)
• 4.42-second 40-yard dash (88th percentile)
• 1.51-second 10-yard split (86th percentile)
• 33-inch vertical jump (31st percentile)
• 125-inch broad jump (87th percentile)

Projected fit

Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke kept his streak of drafting running backs alive in 2024, with Robinson being his 10th in as many drafts in the position, with Jacksonville and San Francisco.

But Robinson isn’t likely to break into Jacksonville’s running back rotation soon, barring an injury to starter Travis Etienne Jr. or his backups, Tank Bigsby and D’Ernest Johnson.

Jacksonville specifically selected Robinson to occupy return duties, pairing with wide receiver free agent signee Devin Duvernay on kickoff returns after the NFL instituted a new kickoff format this offseason, which should lead to a significant increase in return attempts.

Duvernay returned two of his 73 kickoff return attempts for touchdowns and averaged 24.8 yards per return over four seasons with Baltimore. He also averaged 12.8 yards per punt return over 64 tries.

“It definitely brings the two kickoff returners into play and that’s the reason we went out and got Keilan,” Baalke said after the draft. “That’s going to be a main responsibility of his, along with some other things.”

With only one returner required for punts, time will tell whether Duvernay or Robinson will handle fourth-down duties for the Jaguars. But on kickoffs, Jacksonville hopes to have an advantage with two clear-cut returners on the roster entering the first season of the new kickoff rule being in place.

Quotable

“I’ve been watching it. I know they’ve got that influence from the XFL or one of those leagues. I used to watch those games a little bit, so I’ve seen the kickoffs and I like it. It brings back the kick return in the NFL. The past few years it’s been nothing but touchbacks since they’ve moved the ball up. It’s kind of been taking the play out of the game, so I like the rule change. It’s more plays and that can be a game changer. Special teams can win games. It might be a big return that sets the offense up somewhere on the field or might be a touchdown. So, I like that they did something to bring back returns.” — running back/return specialist Keilan Robinson on the NFL’s new kickoff rules