The Jacksonville Jaguars signed 2013 fifth-round draft pick Denard Robinson to a contract, the club announced today. Robinson, listed as an offensive weapon on the club's roster, became the sixth of eight Jaguars draft picks in 2013 to sign a contract. All players under contract are scheduled to report to training camp on Thursday, July 25 with the first practice scheduled the following day.
"As I said before, we expect to have all eight draft picks under contract prior to the beginning of training camp," Jaguars general manager David Caldwell said. "We are excited to get Denard under contract. He had a very productive offseason for us and will continue to get better with each practice. He's passionate about football and has been a very good team player."
"It's a great feeling to sign my first NFL contract," Robinson said. "It's something I've been waiting my whole life for and I'm ready to get to camp later this month and get back to work. I was able to get a feel for the NFL game during the offseason and I look forward to getting the pads on and just keep improving with each practice."
Robinson, 6-0, 197, was a four-year letterman at Michigan where he played in 49 games with 37 starts (35 at quarterback, 2 at running back). He finished his career with the most rushing yards by a quarterback in NCAA history with 4,495 including a single-season record 1,702 rushing yards in 2010. He is only the fourth player in NCAA history to throw for 2,000-plus yards and rush for 1,000-plus yards in a season and he accomplished the feat twice (2010, 2011).
As a senior, Robinson rushed for 1,266 yards and seven touchdowns while completing 89 of 166 passes for 1,319 yards and nine touchdowns. He earned second-team All-Big Ten honors as a junior as he started all 13 games and led his team to a victory in the Sugar Bowl. Robinson produced 1,176 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns while throwing for 20 scores. He took over the reins at quarterback in 2010 and started all 13 games. He set the single-season Division-I FBS record for rushing yards by a quarterback (1,702) and became the only player in NCAA history to both pass and rush for 1,500 yards (2,570 passing yards).
A native of Deerfield Beach, Florida, Robinson was a three-year starting quarterback at Deerfield Beach High School. He finished his career with 44 passing touchdowns and 13 scores on the ground. Robinson was also a standout member of the school's track and field team and was a member of the 2008 FHSAA state champion 4x100 meter relay team.
