Transcript: Wide Receiver Wan’Dale Robinson

2022 Second Round Draft Pick Wide Receiver Wan’Dale Robinson

April 29, 2022

Q. Were you surprised the Giants called you this early? Did you expect to go at this point in the draft?

WAN'DALE ROBINSON: I always felt like I was talented enough to be picked this early. I just felt like somebody just had to believe in me and not believe in the hype thing and just believe in the football player.

Q. What kind of player are the Giants getting? Give us your self-scouting report.

WAN'DALE ROBINSON: A tough, elusive, exciting -- just a playmaker.

Q. How much contact did you have with the Giants during the pre-draft process?

WAN'DALE ROBINSON: I had talked to them at the Combine, and I talked to them through Zooms. Then I had a meeting a week or two right before with the GM and assistant GM.

Q. Do you know (Wide Receiver) Kadarius Toney? You played in the same conference with him, right?

WAN'DALE ROBINSON: Well, I didn't -- I wasn't in the SEC the years that he was there. So, I didn't get to see him in person but I know who he is.

Q. Do you think your game resembles his in any way?

WAN'DALE ROBINSON: I mean, I think we all have our separate ways and different types of games, and I think we probably do some of the things that are similar and can do things that are alike in the short game and intermediate game and things like that. But at the end of the day, we are just play-makers I think.

Q. When you talked to Coach Daboll, did he give you a clear vision of what he thinks you can do in his offense?

WAN'DALE ROBINSON: Just come in and be a versatile piece and just do a lot of different things for the offense. At the end of the day, I just want to come in and help the team win.

Q. How often have you heard over your career that you're not big enough?

WAN'DALE ROBINSON: I've heard that my whole entire career, so it’s nothing new to me. At the end of the day just another obstacle you've got to overcome just with what people think. For myself, I don't think it's a challenge or anything.

Q. Do you liken your game to anybody else out there that we would know?

WAN'DALE ROBINSON: I try to take pieces of everybody's game, all the top receivers in the game, (Rams Wide Receiver) Cooper Kupp, just being in the same offense that he was last year I had to watch a lot of him. (Raiders Wide Receiver) Davante Adams, (Bills Wide Receiver) Stefon Diggs, there are a lot of guys that I like to take pieces of their game from to try to make it my own. Not try to be anybody.

Q. How much do you think you went under the radar? I think you caught a hundred plus passes but when people were talking about the receivers in this Draft, your name was not coming up that often with the top guys.

WAN'DALE ROBINSON: I mean, at the end of the day, I just felt like everybody has their own opinion. I wasn't trying to get caught up in that. I just felt like at the end of the day I was going to end up where I was supposed to. I just needed one team to take that chance on me and I was going it give them all I've got.

Q. Do you know anything about New York or New Jersey?

WAN'DALE ROBINSON: Not too much, no actually. I was just there a couple weeks for “Good Morning Football” and that was the first time I had ever been to New York. I'm ready.

Q. What did you think?

WAN'DALE ROBINSON: It was big. A lot of people (laughs).

Q. Who are you with? What was it like getting the call? Can you paint the picture for us?

WAN'DALE ROBINSON: I'm at this hotel here in Lexington. I’ve got a lot of family and friends, quite a bit of people. Really my entire family on both sides, my mom and dad, and a lot of my friends and teammates. It's a full house.

Q. What do you like about lining up all over the field? I know you've played slot and you've even lined up at running back and you've done all this stuff. How much do you like your ability to do all that?

WAN'DALE ROBINSON: I mean that's what I pride myself on. I like being a guy that can do all the things equally well, not just doing one thing, stand out well. Just being able to do everything on the field so that way the defense doesn't know what I'm going to do whenever I'm in the game.

Q. How many times did (Kentucky Quarterback) Will (Levis) throw the ball in a game last season?

WAN'DALE ROBINSON: I can't tell you exactly a number. There were games that we were more throw-heavy, just depending on the team. Then there were games that – our offensive line was very good – so if there were games we were able to run it the whole game, we were doing that.

Q. Capital D in your name after the apostrophe, right?

WAN'DALE ROBINSON: Yes. Yes, Mom will get mad if she sees that (laughs).