When it comes to describing what type of player wide receiver Wan'Dale Robinson is, quarterback Russell Wilson looks back to the summer.

In one of the first days of New York Giants training camp, Robinson collided -- hard -- with edge rusher Brian Burns, who is listed on the Giants' website at 250 pounds, 65 more than Robinson.

"Burns knocked his tooth out," Wilson remembered. "But (Robinson) wanted to get back up and get back in there and play. His mentality is special."

It's not surprising that Wilson, along with other teammates, was eager to heap praise on the 2022 second-round draft pick following the performance Robinson just delivered (eight receptions for a career-high 142 yards and a touchdown) in the team's overtime loss last weekend to the Dallas Cowboys.

That Robinson was featured in the offense isn't exactly a revelation. Last season, Robinson caught 93 passes for the Giants, but the receptions amounted to an unfathomably low 699 yards. Robinson is the only player in NFL history to catch 90-plus passes and tally fewer than 700 yards.

What was surprising about Sunday's game was the explosive nature of Robinson's production. Instead of catching a handful of passes for a handful of yards, Robinson was burning Cowboys defenders downfield, picking up chunks at a time, including a 32-yard touchdown strike late in the fourth quarter.

Robinson has always believed he was capable of being more than just an underneath target, and on Sunday, he proved just how capable he is.

It's early, but Robinson now ranks sixth in the NFL in receiving yards (197) with Wilson throwing him the ball. That, too, is somewhat of a surprise, as Wilson arrived in New York with a reputation as a quarterback who preferred to throw the ball outside the numbers rather than down the middle of the field.

As the middle of the field is where slot receivers like Robinson typically operate, there was reason to believe Robinson's role in the offense might be reduced. This spring, Robinson admitted that he would need to move around a bit more to accommodate Wilson's preferences.

And actually, he added, he was looking forward to it. He'd been wanting to show off his downfield prowess.

"Obviously, you see, down the field, he flashed that last game, something he hasn't been able to show as much over the first three years of his career," fellow receiver Darius Slayton said this week. "You kind of got a glimpse of his ability to get down the field vertically. We kind of already knew he could run the routes underneath and do that, and run with the ball in his hands. But I think it's something that he worked on, and it showed."

Robinson, along with other members of the Giants offense, trained in California this summer together with Wilson. They also traveled to Atlanta, with Robinson spending much of the offseason working with Slayton's training group.

"From the moment that Russ got here, he was like, 'Dude, I know you can get down the field. I've seen it,' " Robinson remembered. "We worked out together, and he was like, 'I didn't even know you could run that well just from watching the tape from previous games.' So, he was like, 'We're going to make sure that this gets going.' "

It most certainly got going this weekend. While it's only two games, Robinson is doing things he's never done before, including averaging career-highs in route depth (11.9 yards), air yards per target (10.4) and vertical route rate (34.8 percent), according to NFL Pro. On Sunday, Robinson caught three of four deep targets for 107 yards and his first career deep touchdown, per NFL Pro. Those three deep receptions matched Robinson's total deep reception tally from his career.

"He can run option routes," Wilson said. "He can run down the field. He can run across the field. He can screen in. He can do everything. There's nothing that he can't do, and I think that we're able to see that in his work ethic and also his attention to detail, his meeting habits. He's great."

Robinson is not only evolving into a more all-around wide receiver but also a crucial complement to Nabers, who has been the Giants' primary target to an unsustainable degree, at times. Since the start of last season, Nabers is the only wide receiver in the NFL with a team target share above 30%; his sits at 31.2%. While it's obviously great the Giants have a top-tier No. 1 target, there are times when forcing Nabers the ball is ill-advised. That's particularly true on third downs, when defenses are keying in on him.

That's when Robinson has to step up. And, to this point in his career, he has. Since last year, Robinson has been the most targeted wide receiver in the league on third down with 70. The next closest is the Denver Broncos' Courtland Sutton (52). Already this season, Robinson has been targeted on 54.5 percent of the Giants third-down throws, the highest third-down target share in the league, per NFL Pro. Nabers only has an 18.2 percent target share on such plays.

This past Sunday, Wilson targeted Robinson six times on third down, with half of those throws resulting in a first down. The QB also hit Robinson for that fouth-down TD late in the game.

If Robinson can pair his emerging downfield game with his reliability on third downs, the Giants could have a dangerous 1-2 punch, with Nabers leading the way.

"I've always wanted to be a quarterback's best friend in that sort of way on third down that they know I'm going to be available, I'm going to be open, and there's always going to be somebody there who's going to catch that ball," Robinson said. "Obviously, Malik, he's going to get doubled a lot of times too, so that gives me opportunities to have singles. So just making sure I'm going out there winning my one-on-ones and just always available for the quarterback."

Together, Nabers and Robinson are evolving into a go-to duo for Wilson.

"He's got that dog in him to want to be the best, just like I do," Nabers said.

Wan'Dale Robinson always knew he had more to give Giants offense: 'He can do everything'