By Jeff Glatzer, senior draft writer
Football.com

Like the saying goes, "Speed kills." The speed and athleticism of DB/KR Courtney Robinson of the University of Massachusttes Minutemen has not gone unoticed.

Once exposed to Robinson's speed, newly promoted Head Coach Kevin Morris saw that he fit in the team's philosophy of quickness. "When Courtney transferred to UMass from the University of Connecticut, he's from Florida originally, the initial eye grabber was his speed. He can flat out run," said Morris.

Robinson was utilized as a cornerback and kick returner before being reassigned to safety before his senior season. He broke the Minutemen record in 2008 for kickoff return yardage; was the Colonial Athletic Association's top kick returner and the all-conference kick returner; and cornerback of the year for 2008. He was also voted 2008 first team all-conference by New England writers, was voted an FCS all-star for 2008, CSN fabulous 50 FCS all-American 2008, and the CAA preseason all-conference. In 2007, he was voted as a Sports Network honorable mention and the all-american 2007 CAA first-team cornerback.

Coach Morris said that the physicality of Robinson helps him in his role as a corner. "He plays downhill against the run very well, as we did a lot of corner support stuff within our defense. In our two-deep alignment, the corner was the main support player on an outside run. Courtney did a real good job coming off that edge and being physical," said Morris.

Robinson displays good tackling ability and prides himself on practicing the lost art of form tackling. He was willing to play hurt a lot throughout his career at UMass, and never missed a game. He's a tough, physical corner with a lot of character. Robinson displays team leadership abilities, as well.

Former UMass Head Coach Don Brown, now the Defensive Coordinator at Maryland, is confident that Robinson will fare well at his pro days next month. "He will kill it when he runs his pro days. He's going to run low 4.4 or 4.3s. As a corner, he's the real deal. He can play off, we played a ton of press, so he knows how to [play] press." With regard to making an NFL camp next summer, Brown said, "He's big enough to handle tall receivers, I think he's a no-brainer."

As a defensive back, Robinson has a good understanding of receiver alignment and pattern recognition. With his tremendous speed and long arms, Robinson has the ability to read and react well to different coverages. Coach Brown maintains that long arms are an asset when scouting prospects. "That's a measurable that I look at when I look at corners, so it's an important skill set that I look for in a defensive back," said Brown.

Some players don't think that using game film as a tool to get better is important. Robinson recognizes and embraces it. "Coming from high school, I had a basic understanding that [watching] film is what helps you get to the next level. I look at it as something that gets me better, so I love to do it. Once the game kicks in, you already know what you want to know, what your opponent may do or what you think they might do," said Robinson.

His fluid hips and above-average vertical leap ability certainly does help in pass coverage. The fact that his speed as a high school track athlete was utilized as an asset in the kicking game as a returner doesn't mean he is a track kid playing football. It means he is a pure and passionate football player with exceptional speed. His speed off the edge is an asset defensively. He can run downhill from his corner position and get to the quarterback, which is only a few seconds before the ball is released.

Robinson will be a natural fit at the next level due to his ability to listen to his coaches and execute the game plan within different defensive schemes. Coach Brown reinforces this fact. "He's got a lot of flexibility. He can play in a quarters [system], he can play on a press man team, he can play in a Tampa 2 system. He would be able to help somebody out regardless of the system," said Brown.

Toward the end of the 2008 season, the team hit a rough patch, and Robinson recognized the opportunity to stand up and be a positive influence within the team. They ended the season accruing the most wins for a senior class in UMass football history. "Sometimes guys get measured in those situations. His stock certainly went up in my eyes. Just the way he impacted our football team during that last week," said Brown.

"What I wanted to show to the younger guys [in the Richmond game] coming up [into the program] was no matter how much you're down, or when you're down, you've got to fight. You just can't give up. That was one of my favorite games, even though we came up short. I felt like I gave my all, and my teammates gave their all, as well, while they were watching me give my all as a senior. A lot of the younger guys learned from that, and they had a great deal of respect for me after the game," said Robinson.

On the subject of competition, He seems to be well versed in that category. "In order to win, you've got to understand what it takes to lose."

Courtney is currently training under the guidance of strength coach Andreu Swasey, who has trained several first round picks from he University of Miami-Florida.