One of the big talking points when the Cincinnati Bengals used an extra sixth-round pick in the 2023 NFL draft on punter Brad Robbins was how impressive his hangtime was compared to others in the draft class.
It felt like a very calculated draft pick by the Bengals in that regard, given hangtime is one of the apparent weaknesses of current punter Drue Chrisman — which showed up at an especially bad moment during last season’s AFC title game.
At practice in Cincinnati this week, Robbins stood out for that exact reason, putting some downright booming hangtime on some of his punts while working out.
Dan Hoard caught the footage:
2. When the #Bengals drafted punter Brad Robbins we heard about his hang time and directional kicking ability…well, here you go. Nearly 5 seconds of hang time on my stopwatch with the ball coming down in bounds close to the sideline pic.twitter.com/pxaW9irkYv
— Dan Hoard (@Dan_Hoard) May 23, 2023
Plus, Mohammad Ahmad of Cleveland.com captured some of the other work Robbins put in before the punter battle really gets started this summer:
Special teams coordinator Darrin Simmons working with #Bengals rookie punter Brad Robbins on placeholding.
Simmons said a big reason why they drafted Robbins was because he held kicks for new 49ers kicker and third round draft pick Jake Moody at Michigan. pic.twitter.com/RE0zEuT1ER
— Mohammad Ahmad (@MohammadAhmadTV) May 23, 2023
Keep in mind that while Robbins is a point of hype for fans, Chrisman sounds more than ready for that upcoming battle too.
