Links | OSU Cowboys

NFL Draft Sleeper: Zac Robinson

Posted by John Helsley

on March 26, 2010 at 12:45 pm

Zac Robinson has impressed NFL scouts.

By John Helsley

While Mel Kiper and Todd McShay fire out their ever-evolving dueling mock drafts, Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford and Notre Dame’s Jimmy Clausen dominate the quarterback buzz.

The mocking doesn’t extend far enough to reveal OSU’s Zac Robinson.

But that doesn’t mean there’s not a place for Robinson in the NFL.

After a subpar senior season with the Cowboys, a season influenced heavily by injuries, a healthy Robinson earned a closer look with his practices and play at the Senior Bowl, then again at the NFL Combine.

He’s got the measurables: size, buy-some-time speed, solid fundamentals and the one thing that had been in question: arm strength.

Robinson is also tough and smart and coachable, factors that should put him on the map with more than one organization.

In an ESPN examination of draft sleepers Friday, Aaron Schatz of the Football Outsiders included Robinson as one of his 10 to watch. And Robinson is the lone quarterback on the list.

What Schatz wrote:

“Of all the quarterbacks who actually threw at the combine, Robinson might have been the most surprising. He played in a spread offense with the Cowboys but has a pro-style overhand delivery, solid seven-step drops and the arm strength to make the 35-yard post-corner throw. The spread stigma will limit his draft prospects, but Robinson has the mechanics to transcend the issues common to most who fail in that transition.”

My guess, somebody’s going to take Robinson in the mid to later rounds and someday be thankful. He may never become an NFL starter, but he could develop into a solid backup. And he could be a Seneca Wallace-type situational QB right away.

Again, Robinson is smart. And a classy kid. And he’s better, much better, than he showed as a senior, when hamstring and shoulder woes and a lack of reliable wideouts wrecked his sendoff.

There are a lot worse options walking around in backward ball caps as No. 3 NFL quarterbacks.

The sense here is the football story of Zac Robinson hasn’t neared its final chapter.

comments

Yo, Where’s the O?

Posted by John Helsley

on September 17, 2009 at 11:21 am

By John Helsley

jhelsley@opubco.com

There was reason to wonder if OSU really deserved top-5 status in the national polls.

But the questions didn’t figure to focus on the offense.

If anything in OSU’s disappointing 1-1 start to this season, a sputtering offense has been the most puzzling development.

With the Triplets back, along with key personnel up front, we all expected the Cowboys to install a scoreboard spinner this year, with records surely going down.

Now you’re hoping it’s simply a slow start. Or then what?

Cowboys fans are concerned with their offense, as I found out in Thursday’s live chat on newsok.com. Lots of questions about the offense. Did my best to provide some answers, but those really have to come on the field, beginning Saturday night against Rice.

comments

Baseball Chatter

Posted by John Helsley

on August 15, 2009 at 10:21 am

By John Helsley
jhelsley@opubco.com

Football dominates the thoughts — and the headlines — these days, but there’s also a buzz over at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium.

Major League Baseball’s deadline for signing 2009 draft picks approaches, with signatures due by midnight Monday. And the countdown carries heavy impact for many big league clubs.

And the Cowboys.

The struggling economy is causing some organizations to cut back on signing bonuses, which could send some premium players off to school. No team in the country may stand to benefit more than OSU.

Cowboys coach Frank Anderson is watching with interest as negotiations carry to the wire. The roster he anticipated and the roster he ends up with could be drastically different, for the better.

The Big Three in last season’s rotation — Andy Oliver (2nd round, Tigers), Tyler Lyons (10th round, Yankees) and Tyler Blandford (5th round, Mariners) — all remain unsigned and there’s a thought that at least two could end up in orange and black. Getting these guys back would immediately thrust OSU to the front of the Big 12 race for 2010.

And there’s more.

In a major development this week, the Orioles withdrew their offer to 2nd round pick Mychal Givens, a shortstop and pitcher who signed with the Cowboys. And barring a change of heart, Givens could be heading to Stillwater, delivering an elite talent to the program.

Another OSU signee, Yukon power pitcher Chad James, hasn’t signed either after being taken No. 18 in the draft by the Florida Marlins. Might he find his way to OSU, or go the junior college route in order to be eligible for next year’s draft?

Anderson is cautiously optimistic about what Monday may bring. Many MLB teams are taking negotiations right to the deadline, playing the bluff that these kids ultimately want to start their professional careers. Some teams are willing to pay up, exceeding the projected money “slot” established the the commissioner’s office, but they don’t want to do so ahead of the deadline at the risk of rankling the commish or forcing the hand of other organizations.

Anderson feels there’s a chance that the 2010 roster could get an unexpected boost, but he’s wise enough to know that a few open checkbooks could change the landscape drastically.

Check out this video of Mychal Givens:

Givens at work

comments