The 49ers went into this season with high hopes for second-year cornerback Rashard Robinson.
As a rookie from LSU in 2016, Robinson had come on strong, earning six starts and playing in 14 games, with an interception. In training camp he looked like the Niners’ best corner.
But this season has been a mixed bag. He’s had strong games and weak games. Against the Colts in early October, for instance, he was targeted six times and gave up just one completion for 15 yards while also batting away two balls. Also, through the first five weeks of the season, Robinson ranked No. 7 in the NFL among cornerbacks with a 47 percent “burn rate” (the number of receptions allowed vs. the times he’s been targeted).
Yet mixed among the bright spots are dark clouds, such as the game Robinson had Sunday in the 49ers’ 40-10 loss to the Cowboys at Levi’s Stadium.
According to the analytic website Pro Football Focus, Robinson was the lowest-graded player in the game, and it was largely because of penalties, a problem for him (he leads all 49ers DBs with seven penalties this season). Wrote PFF: “He was beaten for Dez Bryant’s touchdown on a double move in the end zone, but he was also flagged twice in coverage, once for pass interference and once for illegal contact, effectively giving up a big play any time the ball came near him.”
Niners defensive coordinator Robert Saleh believes in Robinson, but says the young cornerback needs to be more consistent.
“It comes back to preparation,” Saleh recently said. “There’s a difference between ready and prepared. In my mind everyone is ready to go take the field, but it’s the ones who are prepared that actually have a consistent level of success. For Rashard, preparation starts in practice. Having deliberate practice every single day. Going out and not taking any rep for granted.”
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Robinson gets his next opportunity Sunday when the 0-7 49ers travel to Philadelphia to take on the 5-1 Eagles. Kickoff is set for 10 a.m. in the Bay Area.
