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

Amik Robertson’s rookie year did not go the way he planned.

The Raiders’ fourth-round pick in 2020 expected to step right on the field and play a key role on defense.

Instead, the former Louisiana Tech standout was active for just eight games and played only 35 snaps on defense and 35 more on special teams.

The 5-foot-8-inch cornerback quickly grew frustrated.

“I was down on myself,” he said Friday. “The Raiders drafted me to make an impact immediately.”

A conversation with coach Jon Gruden helped him come to grips with his situation. “He just told me, ‘You can’t rush greatness. It’s a process. You’re going to have some adversity.’”

Robertson said he finally realized that about midseason. “I understood my role and from that moment, I looked at everything positively like, ‘How can I use this to get better?’”

Robertson believes that has happened, though his exact role has yet to be defined.

He excelled as an outside cornerback in college, but the Raiders believed his size and physicality were better suited to play in the slot in the NFL.

That meant his responsibilities would be far more diverse and physically demanding than just lining up over a receiver and covering him.

“He’s doing pretty good,” Gruden said of Robertson’s training camp. “He’s a guy last year we tried to make a nickel corner and that’s a hard position in this league.

“But now as an outside corner you see what he is. You see the skill set that he has. He’s played better. He’s got more confidence.”

Gruden and defensive coordinator Gus Bradley still believe Robertson can be used in the slot, but he has taken fewer reps there as training camp has progressed.

“Well, it goes back to the more you can do,” Bradley said. “I’ve been impressed with him now. We played some man coverage last week just to see his skill set. He did a good job as a nickel. He had an opportunity for a pick on the perimeter.

“The way he’s done some things on the inside we feel like it’s getting more consistent. Then on the outside, I think he’s getting more comfortable with the techniques.”

Robertson has started to fall in love with the nickel corner position even if it’s more difficult. He said it feels more like a linebacker role than a cornerback

“You have to know run gaps and when to play run,” he said. “You’re kind of like a quarterback of the defense. You have to know jets, motions, you have to know gaps. Corner, you only have a certain number of calls. Even though it’s easier to play corner, I kind of like playing nickel. It’s just a process. That’s all it is.”

He believes he’s starting to see the fruits of that process. Robertson believes he will have a bigger role this season no matter where he plays.

One of the major reasons is the shift in attitude more than the position change.

“I just sat back and really learned from a lot of guys,” he said. “Not having OTAs and preseason as a rookie was really tough, but I’d say I took a huge jump from last year to this year. I’m still learning and getting better each and every day, though.”

Robertson wasn’t alone in struggling as a rookie. Henry Ruggs, Damon Arnette, Bryan Edwards and Tanner Muse all struggled in their own ways last year. Robertson believes it’s time for the 2020 draft class to start paying dividends.

“Gruden met with all of us and said we all have to take a big jump and help the team win,” Robertson said. “We all took that personally. We didn’t have the season we wanted to have. Coming into now, we just want to do whatever we have to do.”

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on Twitter.