Player
Demarcus Robinson
WR · 49ers
Robinson's career is a textbook case of a fourth-round WR carving out a decade of NFL employment by being scheme-flexible. Across four organizations he's posted 3,811 receiving yards without ever being a feature target — KC used him as a rotational piece behind Hill/Kelce, the Rams turned him into a downfield specialist behind Kupp/Nacua, and the Niners slotted him in behind their star skill group.
10 NFL seasons, 4 teams, 3,811 receiving yards — Robinson is the prototype of a survivor WR3.
TrendRobinson by team across 10 seasons (regular + playoffs)
| Years | Team | Seasons | Rec | Yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-2021 | KC | 6 | 159 | 1,899 | 15 |
| 2022 | BAL | 1 | 50 | 507 | 3 |
| 2023-2024 | LA | 2 | 64 | 1,017 | 11 |
| 2025 | SF | 1 | 29 | 388 | 2 |
Robinson was a 4th-round pick by Kansas City in 2016 and spent 6 seasons in the Andy Reid offense as a rotational WR. He left to chase larger roles in Baltimore (2022), the Rams (2023-24), and now San Francisco — and the role kept shifting.
3,811 career receiving yards on 302 catches, 31 TDs across 145 games (regular + playoffs combined) — the resume of a respected veteran specialist. He has caught a TD pass in 9 of his 10 NFL seasons (lone exception: his 2016 rookie year).
Receiving yards by team (career)
| Team | Yds |
|---|---|
| KC | 1899 |
| BAL | 507 |
| LA | 1017 |
| SF | 388 |
Why it matters. Robinson's career is a textbook case of a fourth-round WR carving out a decade of NFL employment by being scheme-flexible. Across four organizations he's posted 3,811 receiving yards without ever being a feature target — KC used him as a rotational piece behind Hill/Kelce, the Rams turned him into a downfield specialist behind Kupp/Nacua, and the Niners slotted him in behind their star skill group.
172 yards and 2 TDs vs the Raiders in Week 2 of 2019 — still his career high, six years later.
MilestoneRobinson's top single games (career)
| Season | Week | Tm | Opp | Rec | Yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 2 | KC | LV | 6 | 172 | 2 |
| 2022 | 11 | BAL | CAR | 9 | 128 | 0 |
| 2025 | 19 (WC) | SF | PHI | 6 | 111 | 1 |
| 2024 | 9 | LA | SEA | 6 | 94 | 2 |
| 2023 | 17 | LA | NYG | 6 | 92 | 0 |
Robinson's 6-catch, 172-yard, 2-TD outing vs the Raiders in Week 2 of 2019 stands as his career high — at age 31, he hasn't replicated the raw yardage.
What he did do in 2025: a 111-yard, 1-TD wild-card game vs the Eagles — his first 100-yard playoff outing and the third-largest single game of his career. In year 10, in a new uniform, in a playoff win.
Why it matters. Career-high games this old are how you separate decade-long contributors from true No. 1 receivers. Robinson's 172-yard ceiling held through three coaching changes and four offenses — and the only game that's come close since was his first 100-yard playoff performance, in his 10th NFL season.
7 TDs in 2024 — Robinson's highest single-season total, in year 9.
RareRobinson's top TD seasons (regular season)
| Season | Team | Age | Rec | TD | TD/Rec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | LA | 30 | 31 | 7 | 22.6% |
| 2018 | KC | 24 | 22 | 4 | 18.2% |
| 2019 | KC | 25 | 32 | 4 | 12.5% |
| 2023 | LA | 29 | 26 | 4 | 15.4% |
| 2020 | KC | 26 | 45 | 3 | 6.7% |
Robinson's career-best 7 TDs came in 2024 at age 30 — on just 31 regular-season catches. That's a 22.6% TD rate per reception, the kind of red-zone trust most veterans never reach.
The pattern is unusual: Robinson's three most efficient TD-per-catch seasons all came at age 24 or older, with the peak in year 9 — a function of the Rams using him almost exclusively in red-zone packages.
Why it matters. Robinson's TD spike at 30 isn't about more volume — it's about role concentration. The Rams used him as a designated red-zone target while Kupp and Nacua absorbed the between-the-20s work, and the result was the highest single-season TD rate of his career on his lowest catch volume since 2018.
Robinson's career YPR jumped from 11.9 in KC to 15.9 with the Rams — same player, different role.
SplitYards-per-reception by team (career)
| Team | Years | Rec | Yds | YPR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KC | 2016-2021 | 159 | 1,899 | 11.9 |
| BAL | 2022 | 50 | 507 | 10.1 |
| LA | 2023-2024 | 64 | 1,017 | 15.9 |
| SF | 2025 | 29 | 388 | 13.4 |
In Kansas City, Robinson was a short-area possession piece — a screens-and-slants guy in an offense full of stars: 11.9 YPR across 6 years. In Baltimore he stayed in that role (10.1 YPR).
The Rams move was the transformation: 17.2 YPR in 2024 alone — pure downfield specialist. Sean McVay started using him on the 9-route, deep-comeback, and corner concepts that Kupp didn't run. The catch volume dropped, but the explosive-play rate exploded.
Why it matters. Same WR, different concept menu. Robinson's 4-yard YPR jump from KC to LA reflects a deliberate scheme reassignment: McVay slotted him into the deep routes Kupp wasn't running, and Robinson's role flipped from possession to vertical. The 49ers usage in 2025 sits between the two profiles.
Robinson on the 49ers: 22 catches, 276 yards in 14 regular-season games — then a 111-yard wild-card explosion.
ComparisonRobinson with the 49ers (2025)
| Phase | Gms | Tgt | Rec | Yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular season | 14 | 35 | 22 | 276 | 1 |
| Wild Card (W19 vs PHI) | 1 | 7 | 6 | 111 | 1 |
| Divisional (W20 vs SEA) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Robinson's regular-season role in San Francisco was modest — 22 catches for 276 yards in 14 games, 19.7 YPG. In an offense with Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, George Kittle and Christian McCaffrey absorbing targets, that's WR4/WR5 territory.
Then the wild-card round flipped the script: 111 receiving yards and a TD vs Philadelphia — more yards in one playoff game than he posted in any regular-season game all year (his SF reg-season high was 44). The divisional loss to Seattle the next week reverted to script: 1 target, 1 catch.
Why it matters. Two-game playoff samples this lopsided are how WR4s become legends or footnotes. Robinson's 111-yard wild-card line vs Philadelphia outproduced his single-best 2025 regular-season game (44 vs TB) by 67 yards — then the divisional script reverted, and he caught one ball for one yard.
31 career TDs but only 2 career rushing attempts — 29 total yards on the ground in 145 games.
AnomalyEvery rushing attempt of Robinson's career
| Season | Week | Tm | Opp | Carries | Rush Yds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 15 | LA | WAS | 1 | 23 |
| 2025 | 13 | SF | CLE | 1 | 6 |
Across 145 NFL games, Robinson has been handed the ball exactly twice — a 23-yard rush with the Rams in 2023 and a 6-yard rush with the Niners in 2025. That's 29 total rushing yards on 2 carries, 14.5 YPC — an absurd per-carry average attached to a sample so small it's a curiosity, not a stat.
It's a tiny data point but a perfect Robinson signature: a veteran specialist who's never been asked to do more than catch passes. Three offenses (BAL, LA, SF) over three different coaching staffs have all reached the same conclusion: pass to him, don't hand to him.
Why it matters. Two carries in 145 games is the kind of usage profile that says everything about role. Robinson has never been a gadget piece — no jet sweeps, no end-arounds, no manufactured touches. Four organizations agreed: he's a route runner, period.
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