After Jacksonville selected Alabama's Cam Robinson in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft, he spent his rookie campaign starting at left offensive tackle as the Jaguars went from a three-win showing in 2016 to a spot in last season's AFC championship game.

The Jaguars think Robinson has only scratched the surface.

"Year 2, I have always said, is where you should see a really good jump out of a player," Jacksonville coach Doug Marrone said during the Jaguars' offseason program. "Year 1, they come in and it's a tough year usually for those players, meaning they have gone through school, they have gone through a season, they come out, they're preparing for the (NFL Scouting) Combine, they go through the Combine - a player like Cam is going on all these different visits and meeting with all these different coaches -- then you get drafted and then you come in. It's a whirlwind that first year. Then you're thrown in and you're playing and you're starting.

"We were very happy with Cam. We really expect him to make a good jump this year. He's worked hard to do that."

One area of improvement pointed out by Marrone was Robinson's upper-body strength.

"I had to learn to become a workout guy," Robinson said. "I knew I had to get stronger. I never really had a problem working out, but I bought in more to the weight room because I knew what I had to get accomplished."

Jacksonville offensive-line coach Pat Flaherty said Robinson demonstrated he'd progressed this offseason.

"The thing about players coming into this league is in their first year and second year, they find out what it takes," Flaherty said. "A lot of his strength coming out of college was in his legs, which is good for an offensive lineman. But you have to develop your upper body as well, which will give you balance and core strength. We're seeing that."

With the addition of Robinson and LSU running back Leonard Fournette last season, the Jaguars jumped from 22nd in 2016 to No. 1 in 2017 in rushing offense among the NFL's 32 teams.

But Robinson also had to protect quarterback Blake Bortles from some of the NFL's top pass-rushers, including Jadeveon Clowney of the Houston Texans, Terrell Suggs of the Baltimore Ravens, Joey Bosa of the Los Angeles Chargers, Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns, Chandler Jones of the Arizona Cardinals, Cameron Hayward of the Pittsburgh Steelers and former Columbia High School standout Trey Flowers of the New England Patriots.

In 2018, Flowers, Hayward and Clowney (along with his teammates J.J. Watt and Whitney Mercilus, who are returning from injuries) are on Jacksonville's schedule again, and NFC East pass-rushers DeMarcus Lawrence of the Dallas Cowboys, Ryan Kerrigan of the Washington Redskins and Brandon Graham of the Philadelphia Eagles are lined up to face the Jaguars, too.

In addition to more upper-body strength, Robinson expects more familiarity with the Jaguars' game plan also will help him become a better player in 2018.

"I'm a lot more comfortable," Robinson said. "The game is slowing down a lot. I know what I'm doing now. This time last year, I was out there just going off straight ability."

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Jacksonville's offseason program ended on June 14. The Jaguars' veterans report for training camp on July 25. Jacksonville's four-game preseason schedule kicks off against the New Orleans Saints on Aug. 9. The Jaguars' 2018 regular season starts against the New York Giants on Sept. 9.

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @AMarkG1.