Former University of Michigan running back Mike Hart has done what he does best now and that’s do a lot of talking. Hart, who has been a backup running back for the Indianapolis Colts for the past three seasons says there’s “no question” that U-M QB Denard Robinson can play QB in the NFL.
Hart however believes that it’s important for Robinson to thrive under Brady Hoke’s new pro-style offense in order for him to make that step into the NFL.
Here are some excerpts from the Detroit News…
“If you want to play quarterback at the next level you need to show people that you can drop back,” Hart told WJR’s Frank Beckmann on Friday morning.
Robinson took snaps exclusively in the shotgun formation in former coach Rich Rodriguez’s spread offense.
“Do I think he has the talent (to play in the NFL)? Yes,” said Hart. “I think he has the arm strength. Can he put everything together to show (he can play in the NFL)? I think that’s what’s going to make this year so exciting. He’ll be able to show how dynamic of a quarterback he is — that he can drop back and thrown those in-routes and throw those patterns.”
There’s no question that Robinson is a tremendous talent at the college level however his style of play and not to mention his size will definitely work against him succeeding as a QB in the NFL.
Scrambling QB’s simply don’t transfer over to the NFL unless you’re Michael Vick and smaller QB’s that are successful are few and far between.
As a QB, Robinson will also need to be able to show that he can win games against quality opponents. Last season Robinson played very well against mid major schools however once he got into the Big Ten schedule his play began to falter.
Like Hart I also believe Robinson can be an NFL caliber player however it’s not at QB. I can definitely see Robinson becoming a RB or return man in the NFL because of his explosive speed.
Source: Detroit News
