For all of Florida State’s struggles in its 5-7 2025 campaign, the offense ranked No. 26 in the country by points per drive with Gus Malzahn calling the plays and Tommy Castellanos at quarterback. It was undoubtedly the better of the two units, and though Malzahn’s system was run-first, Duce Robinson established himself as a star after transferring from USC.
Robinson caught 56 passes for 1,081 yards, averaging 19.3 yards per reception, and scored six touchdowns. He’s undoubtedly the biggest returning star on the Seminoles heading into 2026 and once again will be the focal point of the passing game, this time with Auburn transfer QB Ashton Daniels.
Daniels’ arrival should help to unlock new elements of Robinson’s game, so an even better season could be in store for the 6-foot-6, 230-pound senior. The strengths pop off the screen when you watch Robinson, but after diving into the film from last season, there are some unexpected aspect of his game that has room for improvement that could take him to the next level, both as an NFL prospect and as a high-volume No. 1 WR at the collegiate level.
Let’s jump into the scouting report before I break down what I saw on the All-22 and what I need to see from Robinson this year.
Duce Robinson Florida State scouting report
Profile:
- Eligibility left: 2 years (JR)
- Height: 6’6”
- Weight: 230 lbs
- Previous school: USC (2023-24)
- 2025 production: 56 rec, 1,081 yards, 6 TD
Strengths:
Loves to play above the rim - It’s no surprise that a 6-foot-6 wide receiver is adept at winning a 50/50 ball, but Robinson lives up to expectations in that department. He has good body control for his size and makes very natural adjustments to the football.
Big play machine - Robinson averaged nearly 20 yards per reception in 2025 and averaged 17.5 yards per target 20 or more yards downfield. That ranked 27th among 115 FBS receivers with at least 15 such targets (per PFF).
Reliable hands - This isn’t just about the circus catches over a defender. Robinson has reliable hands on comebacks and routes over the middle. He had two drops, but concentration isn’t an issue. It’s also not just that he doesn’t have drops; it’s that he uses his length to expand catch-radius by attacking the football and catching it away from his body.
A useful run-blocker on the outside - The size doesn’t quite show up the way you’d want in the run game. Robinson isn’t some dominant run-blocker, which he may need to be to reach a WR2 ceiling in the NFL. But he is good; he gives real effort, and when he gets his hands on a DB, they’re rarely going to shed that block.
Weaknesses:
Won’t run away from you - Robinson can eventually build up some momentum and be tough to tackle, but the long speed just isn’t there. It’ll be more of a problem at the NFL level than it is in college, but it still shows up on tape.
The physicality doesn’t match the build - Robinson is tight end sized, but he doesn’t play like one through his routes. He’s too easily knocked off his route and disrupted by physical corners, and at times doesn’t play through contact well enough to even draw a flag.
Doesn’t separate consistently - Some of this plays into the relative lack of physicality and speed in his game, but he also doesn’t have the level of nuance he would need as a route-runner to consistently separate. So, it’s a good thing he’s such a good contested-catch player.
Robinson is a big, physical force, he needs to play like it more often
Robinson was highly productive last season despite essentially playing the year with one hand tied behind his back. With a 5-foot-11 (at best) quarterback, middle-of-the-field routes were off the table for Robinson and the rest of the FSU receivers nearly the entire season. A huge part of his route tree was go balls and comebacks, which gets really predictable if you’re a defensive back.
Still, Robinson put up great numbers because he does an excellent job using his length and athleticism in contested catch situations. He went 18 for 34 on contested catch opportunities. That is No. 2 in the country for contested catch opportunities and No. 3 for contested catches. 53.9 percent isn’t elite, but it’s a really good number at the volume.
That’s always going to be his calling card at the position. And creating separation on those routes is only going to get easier as his route tree gets less predictable with a quarterback who can actually deliver over the middle in Daniels. The room for improvement comes, though, on those very routes, where he should be a monster boxing out smaller defensive backs and knocking them back at the top of routes.
The problem is that volume. 42 percent of his targets over 10 yards downfield resulted in a contested catch opportunity. That’s just too high.
Robinson needs to be more of a threat over the middle of the field, and that’s not all on him
Robinson just isn’t particularly physical through his routes. Part of that is he’s not especially explosive, so he’s not a freight train to handle like a Nico Collins for the Houston Texans. Even so, he gets bumped around through his routes too often for as big as he is. At 6-foot-6, there is a big area for DBs to get their hands on him, so he has to be physical at the top of routes to deliver that punishment and play through the contact when he can’t dish it out. It even shows up at times against press coverage where he gets knocked off course too easily.
A 6-foot-6, 230-pound wide receiver, who is practically a tight end, is never going to be an elite separator. To be a high-volume receiver in college and more than just a go-ball machine at the next level, he needs to press his strength advantage as well as he utilizes his height.
The increased opportunities over the middle of the field will help. And Robinson does a really good job of tempoing his routes against zone coverage to sit down in the soft spots and present a target to his QB. That just went unrewarded so often with Castellanos. But he should be more effective against man.
If he does take that step as a senior, he can go from a big-play 50/50 ball guy to a receiver that the offense can funnel targets to at all levels of the field.
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