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Offensive tackle Greg Robinson is preparing for his second season in the NFL with the St. Louis Rams.

(AP Photo)

St. Louis Rams offensive line coach Paul Boudreau thinks tackle Greg Robinson has more talent than Pro Football Hall of Famer Willie Roaf. Now if only he had more opportunity to help the former Auburn standout make a speedier transition from a collegiate spread offense to the NFL.

The Rams made Robinson the second player picked in the 2014 NFL Draft. He played left offensive tackle for the Tigers, but the Rams had former No. 1 pick Jake Long at left tackle when they drafted Robinson. St. Louis penciled in Robinson to begin his career at left guard.

Robinson hardly played in the first four games of his rookie season, then started three games at left guard. When Long suffered a season-ending knee injury in the seventh game, Robinson shifted to the open spot and started the final nine games of the season at left offensive tackle.

Auburn's offense scheme didn't prepare Robinson for what's required of him in the NFL, Boudreau said. But because of the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the NFL and its players association, Boudreau couldn't start preparing Robinson for the 2015 season until April 20, when the Rams began Phase 1 of their offseason program.

"They had four run plays and one protection -- slide left, slide right. He didn't have a snap count," Boudreau told Greg A. Bedard of Sports Illustrated's Monday Morning Quarterback about Robinson's collegiate career. "Now I coached Willie Roaf when Willie was a rookie. Willie's in the Hall of Fame. And I can tell you from a coach who coached Willie and now coaches Greg Robinson: Greg Robinson as a rookie has more talent and is a better player than Willie. Willie had a great coach at Louisiana Tech, and Willie was ahead of the curve because of the techniques he was taught, just like how we talk about preferring the Wisconsin, Iowa, Stanford and Notre Dame guys. They have one up on the guys from the spread. I'm not going to tell a spread coach he can't do it anymore. What I'm saying to the NFL is: 'Give me a chance to change this spread guy to an NFL guy. Don't restrict me.' Back in the day, we could take the wing-T guys and convert them because we had the time. Just give me a chance to coach my guys and don't tell me I can only have them for four hours."

Boudreau has been an NFL offensive line coach for 28 seasons and held that position for the New Orleans Saints from 1987 through 1993. His final season with the Saints was Roaf's first in the NFL after New Orleans selected the tackle out of Louisiana Tech with the eighth pick in the 1993 NFL Draft. Roaf went on to earn 11 Pro Bowl selections and was part of the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2012.

Boudreau made his remark to Bedard at the annual Coaches of Offensive Line Clinic, held in Cincinnati May 15-16. Boudreau was one of the speakers at the COOL Clinic, with presentations on "Teaching the Inside Zone Through Drills and Translating it to the Field" and "Teaching Pass Pro Through Drills and Transitioning it to the Game." Auburn offensive line coach J.B. Grimes made the presentation "The Run Game with an Auburn Perspective" at the clinic.

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The Rams are heading into the 2015 season with Robinson at left offensive tackle. Because he had offseason toe surgery after playing through the injury last season, Robinson was at Rams Park for rehab work before the offseason program started.

"He had some offseason surgery, so he's in the building every day," St. Louis coach Jeff Fisher said of Robinson in February. "And he comes to the building every day not worrying about going on the practice field and making a mistake. He comes in the building every day learning how to be a pro. He's had to take a deep breath, rehab and learn. I think you'll see significant improvement."