Wan’Dale Robinson didn’t hesitate.
The Giants’ third-year receiver didn’t need any time to ponder or think back to past emotions.
Didn’t want to hedge his answer at all.
Didn’t want to shy away from his ambition for the upcoming season.
In terms of how he is feeling compared to this point last year, Robinson doesn’t even think it’s comparable.
“I would say it’s completely night and day,” Robinson said Wednesday afternoon after the Giants’ second day of mandatory minicamp practice.
At this point last year, Robinson wasn’t on the field, or even able to run routes.
He was in the middle of his rehab after tearing his right ACL as a rookie during a loss to the Lions on Nov. 20, 2022.
That rehab spilled into the start of last year, and he missed the Giants’ first two games.
Once he returned, the Robinson that the Giants envisioned when they drafted him in the second round — No. 43 overall and the first offensive weapon taken under the Brian Daboll-Joe Schoen regime — was missing.
Elusive. Dynamic. Versatile.
It was all badly needed in a floundering Giants offense, yet scarcely provided.
“There would be times last year I wasn’t all of the way confident in doing what I had to do out there,” Robinson said. “Probably until the Green Bay [Week 13] game I wasn’t out there just really doing whatever it was and not thinking about my knee. … Especially for the first couple weeks of the season, I didn’t feel anywhere near like myself.”
He began to deliver those qualities as a rookie just before getting hurt.
Robinson, who missed four of the Giants’ first five games as a rookie with a previous knee sprain, hauled in nine catches for 100 yards — by far his best performance as a pro — in that Nov. 20 game against the Lions before tearing his ACL in the fourth quarter.
Robinson’s potential re-emerged toward the end of last year, as he caught 24 passes for 260 yards across the Giants’ final five games.
And now fully healthy, Robinson finally feels back to his old self.
He particularly pointed to his explosiveness, hitting numbers on his GPS-tracking device during OTAs and minicamp that he never has before — even before the ACL injury.
He’s shown flashes across seasons, but the Giants certainly haven’t yet seen the best of Robinson.
In Year 3, the Giants need the full package.
The early signs are promising, as Robinson enjoyed a strong spring.
He provided one of the offseason’s top highlights Tuesday, hauling in a long touchdown catch-and-run before unveiling a Spiderman-themed celebration with Malik Nabers and Jalin Hyatt.
“He certainly looks healthy out here, he looks like the guy we thought he could be,” wide receivers coach Mike Groh said earlier this spring. “He’s had some unfortunate injuries his first two years, he’s shown some signs of being a guy that can really impact games. We get the ball in his hands early in the down or be able to win later in the down on third down, things like that. He’s got really good short-area quickness, lower-body strength to work the middle of the field that will serve him very well.’’
Largely operating out of the slot, Robinson can provide quarterback Daniel Jones a dependable, go-to target in short yardage and over the middle of the field that he’s lacked.
The Giants were also largely devoid of Robinson’s run-after-catch ability.
“Wan’Dale is one of those guys we know and love and got to get him the ball,” offensive coordinator Mike Kafka said on Wednesday.
The praise isn’t even just coming from within.
Even rivals believe in his ability.
Stud Cowboys receiver CeeDee Lamb spoke highly of Robinson earlier this offseason.
“You know who’s really a sleeper? Wan’Dale Robinson from New York,” Lamb said on “The Edge with Micah Parsons” podcast. “He’s so fast. He’s so nice. His routes are crazy.”
Off the field, Robinson has already emerged as a veteran in a young wide receiver room despite being only 23 years old.
The Giants added Hyatt last year in the third round and this year added Nabers with the No. 6 overall pick.
In just three years since Robinson arrived, the wide receiver room around him has been almost completely revamped.
Perhaps it’s time for a revamped Robinson himself to emerge.
“Smart, very, very smart,” Daboll said Wednesday. “Does a good job in that room. He was injured and he’s still a young player, but he’s been very good for Malik. And I’d say Hyatt, too. … He knows what all five players, including the running back, are supposed to do. He’s progressed well, he’s had a good camp.”
