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Whenever a somewhat significant trade happens in the NFL when other news is scarce, everyone jumps into the conversation of who they thought won or lost the trade. Thursday was no exception, when the Detroit Lions sent a 2018 sixth-round pick to the Los Angeles Rams for offensive tackle Greg Robinson.
For the most part, Robinson was getting hammered by critics left and right. There’s no doubt that his time with the Rams was a failure, but is there any reason for optimism? Let’s take a look at all of the reactions throughout Twitter, starting with the positive.
Here’s the good news
Former Lions offensive lineman Geoff Schwartz thinks that Robinson could actually be a fairly good fit with Detroit, especially when it comes to improving their run game.
What the Lions teach upfront and their philosophy is a great fit for Robinson. Jump sets, ball out quick. They could use his run blocking
— Geoff Schwartz (@geoffschwartz) June 15, 2017
Schwartz brings up a good point in that the Lions offense is much more fast-paced than the Rams and that could mitigate the damage of Robinson’s struggles.
Zac Snyder of Detroit Jock City made an important point in his “best case scenario” for Robinson’s time in Detroit:
Best case for #Lions with Robinson is that he does enough to make an impact in counting toward comp picks for next offsesaon
— Zac Snyder (@ZacSnyder) June 15, 2017
Robinson will be an unrestricted free agent in 2018, so if he plays well enough this year and signs a significant contract with another team next offseason, the Lions could theoretically earn back the sixth-round pick they sent to Los Angeles in the form of a compensatory pick in the 2019 draft.
Here’s an optimistic take on the trade from Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat writer Trevor Sikkema:
Robinson is still only 24 yrs old. Plus he played for the Rams, which is a dumpster fire. I'd have done that trade so fast if I was any team
— Trevor Sikkema (@TampaBayTre) June 15, 2017
NFL Draft analyst Jon Ledyard seems to agree:
Robinson was going nowhere fast in LA. Traits and tools are there and he's only 24 still. Easily worth a 6th rounder. https://t.co/yg667e1NpR
— Jon Ledyard (@LedyardNFLDraft) June 15, 2017
The bad
There aren’t a lot of positives from Robinson’s three years in the NFL, and Twitter made sure everyone knew about it.
I'm surprised the Rams were able to get a sixth-round pick for Greg Robinson. They have to be thrilled to get his $3.3M salary off their cap
— Michael David Smith (@MichaelDavSmith) June 15, 2017
Much has been made about Robinson’s penalty-prone game. Bill Shea shared an article that says Robinson has been “the most penalized player in the NFL for the last three seasons.”
Commentary on Robinson last season was ugly. Talk of him being a bust. Too many penalties, poor pass blocking: https://t.co/HxLfnRgv2u https://t.co/TPgYRk4mnu
— Bill Shea (@Bill_Shea19) June 15, 2017
Can we get a reaction out of you, Turf Show Times?
(thrilled)
— TurfShowTimes (@TurfShowTimes) June 15, 2017
Bleacher Report’s Jason Cole also shared this troubling, but unsubstantiated, piece of information:
Most damning story about ex-Rams, new-Lions OT Greg Robinson is that he spent more time learning rap lyrics than studying pass protections.
— Jason Cole (@JasonColeBR) June 15, 2017
For what it’s worth, both Turf Show Times and Rams Wire doubt the validity of this claim.
If Pro Football Focus is your thing, Ryan Mathews has some bad news for you:
Greg Robinson, the former No. 2 overall pick of the Rams, never scored higher than a 41.3 grade according to Pro Football Focus.
— Ryan Mathews (@Ryan_POD) June 15, 2017
Money talks
By trading for Robinson, the Lions acquired the final year of his contract, worth $3.32 million, all of which is guaranteed. That is a pretty hefty contract to take on, but Scott Warheit put that number in its proper context:
Corny Lucas is on the books for $1.8M. So, if Greg Robinson makes the 53 over Lucas, then it's really only an extra $1.5M not $3.3M. https://t.co/28u1qnE92G
— Scott Warheit (@swarheit) June 15, 2017
Scott is right, but there’s also the scenario in which Greg Robinson doesn’t beat out out Cornelius Lucas and/or Corey Robinson. In that case, the Lions would still have to eat Robinson’s $3.3 million while continuing to pay Lucas’ $1.8 million.
That all being said, the Rams seem to be pretty happy about getting that $3.3 million off of their books.
One person saw this coming
Eric Edholm of Yahoo! Sports apparently saw this move coming from miles away. Edholm knew that Robinson was well out of favor in Los Angeles and had seen this kind of move before. From exactly two weeks ago:
Feel like we are a few days away from "Greg Robinson traded for 2019 draft pick" news
— Eric Edholm (@Eric_Edholm) June 1, 2017
Obviously, Edholm couldn’t have known at the time that Taylor Decker was injured and he missed the draft pick year by one, but that’s still pretty impressive.
Your turn
Time for you to grade the trade:
Poll
What grade do you give the Lions for this trade?
This poll is closed
-
21%
A
-
50%
B
-
23%
C
-
2%
D
-
1%
F