New York Giants select Kentucky star Wan’Dale Robinson 43rd overall in NFL Draft

Wan’Dale Robinson, a Mr. Football winner and standout for the University of Kentucky, officially has a new subhead to put on his résumé: NFL player.

The New York Giants selected Robinson with the 43rd overall pick in the second round of the NFL Draft on Friday. He was the eighth receiver selected in this year’s draft, which was held in Las Vegas.

Robinson became the second Kentucky wide receiver selected in the draft in the last three years, joining Lynn Bowden. Before Bowden was selected in 2020, a UK receiver had not been selected since the Green Bay Packers drafted Randall Cobb in 2011.

A four-star recruit and the top-ranked player in the state of Kentucky in the 2019 recruiting class, Robinson originally committed to UK but flipped to Nebraska ahead of signing day. He was a spark plug for the Cornhuskers in his two seasons in Lincoln but was dissatisfied with his role and wanted to be closer to family, prompting a transfer ahead of the 2021 season. A change in offensive philosophy at Kentucky helped bring him to Lexington, and Robinson flourished as a featured receiver in the slot. He set single-season school records for receptions (104) and yardage (1334) and scored seven touchdowns for the Wildcats.

Robinson had six 100-yard receiving games last season (he finished three yards shy of a seventh in the Wildcats’ rout of rival Louisville), including a career-high 181 yards on eight receptions in a 56-16 win over New Mexico State. He had 170 yards on 10 catches in UK’s win over Iowa in the 2022 Citrus Bowl, which gave the program its second 10-win season in the last four years. His final catch set up the winning touchdown run by UK running back Chris Rodriguez.

According to hometown data provided by Pro Football Reference, Robinson will be just the second player in NFL history to hail from Frankfort. The former Western Hills High School star joins Tennessee Titans quarterback Logan Woodside, who played at Franklin County High School and Toledo before getting drafted in the seventh round of the 2018 draft.

This story was originally published April 29, 2022 at 7:58 PM.

Josh Moore

Lexington Herald-Leader

Josh Moore covers the University of Kentucky football team for the Lexington Herald-Leader, where he’s been employed since 2009. Moore, a Martin County native, graduated from UK with a B.A. in Integrated Strategic Communication and English in 2013. He’s a fan of the NBA, Power Rangers and Pokémon. Support my work with a digital subscription