Robertson to the bengals has been called off

Robertson has under-achieved since he was drafted. He wasn't great for them in first couple years in the 4-3 (even though he was better than Sullivan). However, when they switched to the 3-4 he was completely out of place (really hurt his development). Robertson has shown flashes though. He has kept himself in good shape, even though he's had to put on some weight to handle the nose in the 3-4. IMHO, a change of teams could be a great thing for him. However, any team that trades for him has to make sure he restructures. No one is going to pay 11 million to an under-achieving tackle. He has talent, and IMHO he could be the perfect rotational guy to a older vet like Brian Young. Robertson was touted as the next Warren Sapp coming out of the draft. He was a beast at Kentucky, but he jumped up the draft boards because he was a workout warrior. If you could gaurantee you could get him to restructure he would be worth a late round pick. He has first round talent, but he hasn't put it all together yet.

I seriously doubt that either Dorsey or Ellis is there at #10, or even #9 for that matter. Unless you're planning on making a jump up to the 6-7 range (at least) he might be a good stop-gap solution that might eventually pay off in the long run. I am sure if he is worth getting though, they have already talked to Vilma about his feelings on him. Vilma knows better than anyone what Robertson is capable of and I am sure the coaching staff and front office has talked to Vilma about Robertson already.
You key in on the core problem with Robertson however. Unlike Shaun Rodgers (and Sullivan for that matter) conditioning hasn't been a significant issue for Robertson. And unlike Marcus Stroud, he hasn't had any significant injury. And unlike Albert Haynesworth there aren't a myrid of character issues.

All of which begs the question, what's his excuse then? Though he's been "solid" at times (particularly in the 4-3), he's never sniffed his #4 overall potential. And the normal factors (conditioning, injuries, character) don't seem to apply. All of which suggests . . . he might just not be that good.

I'm not opposed to taking a run at the guy. At the very least he'll be an upgrade over Antwan Lake in my opinion and there's always that "upside" factor. I'd rather not give up anymore 2008 draft picks, but if the staff has a lot of confidence in this move :shrug:

We do, afterall, have a former teammate of his we can consult on him (Vilma) so we should be making this move (if we do make it) with as good a grasp on what to expect as any other team in the NFL.