Breaking down the Bengals’ selection of Michigan punter Brad Robbins

The Cincinnati Bengals picked up pick 217 in a trade with the Kansas City Chiefs on Friday night and opted to use the pick to draft University of Michigan Wolverines punter Brad Robbins.

The transition from Kevin Huber to Drue Chrisman left much to be desired in 2022. Chrisman struggled with hang time and flipping the field.

What he brings to the Bengals

Hang time: Exactly what Chrisman lacked last year, Robbins excels at. Without elite leg strength, Robbins is still able to get the job done and give his coverage team plenty of time to get downfield and make a tackle. Flipping the field in today’s NFL is such a key piece to a special teams puzzle, and allowing your coverage team to get downfield and prevent big returns is a major part of that. A third of his punts last season resulted in a fair catch.

Touch: Robbins recorded zero touchbacks on punts last season. He didn’t even have a punt go into the end zone. Robbins plays the sideline well and has the touch to leave balls in the field of play and pin the opposition deep in their own territory. He dropped 16 balls inside the 20-yard line last season that weren’t returned.

Holding: One issue the Bengals saw cost them games last season, notably their first game of the year, were issues with snaps on field goals and extra points. When the Bengals made the switch from Huber, a concern was Chrisman not being experienced as a holder. That isn’t an issue with Robbins, who held for field goals and extra points his entire career at Michigan.

Why the Bengals picked Robbins

In my opinion, he was drafted with the intention of being the Bengals’ starting punter. Darrin Simmons surely won’t hand him the job, but investing NFL Draft capital into a punter when you already have a young punter on the roster is a clear indication that the job is up for grabs. Robbins suddenly has the inside track, barring a poor showing in the preseason or training camp.

Bonus

Very cool mustache.

Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

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