Over the past five years or so, NFL teams have been more and more hesitant to take running backs in the first round of the NFL Draft.
But the Atlanta Falcons knew that Bijan Robinson was a special kind of talent, which is why they didn’t bat an eye when they used their No. 8 overall pick to get the Texas product.
And according to NFL insider James Palmer, the rookie running back is already turning a lot of heads in training camp, which is a lot to say, considering the fact that there was already a lot of hype and expectations surrounding him.
A rookie that is buzzing? How about #falcons RB Bijan Robinson. But don’t call him a running back. Think of him as an offensive weapon. My report on @NFLTotalAccess on @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/2boyh9qSjG
— James Palmer (@JamesPalmerTV) July 11, 2023
NFL scouts raved about Robinson long before he declared himself for the NFL Draft.
He’s a tackle-breaking machine with elite hands who could be lined up everywhere on the field thanks to his route-running and pass-catching skills, and he’s expected to have a massive workload from the very first day of the season.
The Falcons don’t have a solid situation at the quarterback position with Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke as their two options, so they’ll obviously have to rely heavily upon the running game.
Also, there’s no point in having such an elite option and not using it — they already have Kyle Pitts for that — so he should see 20+ carries every single week of the season.
Robinson has the potential to be one of the best running backs in the modern era, and hopefully, he’ll be healthy for long enough to fulfill that destiny and have a successful career.
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