New position, attitude could propel Raiders’ second-year CB

Amik Robertson’s rookie twelvemonth did not spell the mode helium planned.

The Raiders’ fourth-round prime successful 2020 expected to measurement close connected the tract and play a cardinal relation connected defense.

Instead, the erstwhile Louisiana Tech standout was progressive for conscionable 8 games and played a full of lone 35 snaps connected defence and 35 much connected peculiar teams.

The 5-foot-8 cornerback rapidly grew frustrated.

“I was down connected myself,” helium said Friday. “The Raiders drafted maine to marque an interaction immediately.”

A speech with manager Jon Gruden helped him travel to grips with his situation. “He conscionable told me, ‘You can’t unreserved greatness. It’s a process. You’re going to person immoderate adversity.’”

Robertson said helium yet realized that astir midseason. “I understood my relation and from that moment, I looked astatine everything positively like, ‘How tin I usage this to get better?’”

Robertson believes that has happened, though his nonstop relation has yet to beryllium defined.

He excelled arsenic an extracurricular cornerback successful college, but the Raiders believed his size and physicality were amended suited to play successful the slot successful the NFL.

That meant his responsibilities would beryllium acold much divers and physically demanding than conscionable lining up implicit a receiver and covering him.

“He’s doing beauteous good,” Gruden said of Robertson’s grooming camp. “He’s a feline past twelvemonth we tried to marque a nickel country and that’s a hard presumption successful this league.

“But present arsenic an extracurricular country you spot what helium is. You spot the accomplishment acceptable that helium has. He’s played better. He’s got much confidence.”

Gruden and antiaircraft coordinator Gus Bradley inactive judge Robertson tin beryllium utilized successful the slot, but helium has taken less reps determination arsenic grooming campy has progressed.

“Well, it goes backmost to the much you tin do,” Bradley said. “I’ve been impressed with him now. We played immoderate antheral sum past week conscionable to spot his accomplishment set. He did a bully occupation arsenic a nickel. He had an accidental for a prime connected the perimeter.

“The mode he’s done immoderate things connected the wrong we consciousness similar it’s getting much consistent. Then connected the outside, I deliberation he’s getting much comfy with the techniques.”

Robertson has started to autumn successful emotion with the nickel country presumption adjacent if it’s much difficult. He said it feels much similar a linebacker relation than a cornerback

“You person to cognize tally gaps and erstwhile to play run,” helium said. “You’re benignant of similar a backmost of the defense. You person to cognize jets, motions, you person to cognize gaps. Corner, you lone person a definite fig of calls. Even though it’s easier to play corner, I benignant of similar playing nickel. It’s conscionable a process. That’s each it is.”

He believes he’s starting to spot the fruits of that process. Robertson believes helium volition person a bigger relation this play nary substance wherever helium plays.

One of the large reasons is the displacement successful cognition much than the presumption change.

“I conscionable sat backmost and truly learned from a batch of guys,” helium said. “Not having OTAs and preseason arsenic a rookie was truly tough, but I’d accidental I took a immense leap from past twelvemonth to this year. I’m inactive learning and getting amended each and each day, though.”

Robertson wasn’t unsocial successful struggling arsenic a rookie. Henry Ruggs, Damon Arnette, Bryan Edwards and Tanner Muse each struggled successful their ain ways past year. Robertson believes it’s clip for the 2020 draught people to commencement paying dividends.

“Gruden met with each of america and said we each person to instrumentality a large leap and assistance the squad win,” Robertson said. “We each took that personally. We didn’t person the play we wanted to have. Coming into now, we conscionable privation to bash immoderate we person to do.”

Contact Adam Hill astatine ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ connected Twitter.