Wan'Dale Robinson has always played against bigger players since he started playing football at age 5. (Photo by UK Athletics)
Some might be worried about whether Wan’Dale Robinson is big enough to take the pounding he’ll face weekly in the National Football League.
Obviously, he was just fine against Southeastern Conference foes during his record-setting 2021 season at Kentucky and the New York Giants believe he’ll be fine after making him a second-round draft pick.
Robinson’s father, Dale, is also confident about what he can do.
“The Giants are going to use him as a slot receiver. He is a slot (receiver) who can do gadget stuff,” Dale Robinson said. “He is an electrifying player.”
“He loves the game and expects physical play. He is going to give you 120 percent every day. He will come in sharp and ready to complete. He loves to prepare. He will not take a day off.”
But what about life in New York City for a young man who grew up in Frankfort and then went to college at Nebraska and Kentucky? Can he handle that?
“His plan comes from having the right mentor, right mindset,” Dale Robinson said. “New York is very high energy. He knows he is in a different market than 90 percent of the country. He has to be prepared and believe in himself and if he has a big game, just shake it off and keep going.”
Wan’Dale Robinson started playing football at age 5 in a league in Louisville with players 6 to 8 years old. He was the smallest player on the team.
“He would scrimmage against teams older than him. They would smack him around pretty good,” Dale Robinson said. “I would say, ‘Are you done/‘ Then he would just get up and go back out there.”
“His style has not changed. He is just bigger and faster now. But the No. 1 thing he feels when he steps on the field is that he’s going to be the best player on that field.”
