2023 NFL Draft Profile: RB Bijan Robinson

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The Texas Longhorns have churned out plenty of great running backs. Namely, Earl Campbell, Ricky Williams, Cedric Benson and Jamaal Charles were all prestigious names to star in college football at Austin, Texas. Bijan Robinson could be the next Texas-great to take the NFL by storm at the running back position.

Overall, the Tucson, Arizona native racked up 3,410 rushing yards, 33 rushing touchdowns, 805 receiving yards and eight receiving touchdowns in his three seasons at Texas. Robinson won the 2022 Doak Walker Award as the top running back in college football. Meanwhile, he also earned unanimous All-American honors in 2022 and first-team All-Big 12 honors in 2021 and 2022.

Top Strengths

Vision

The vision of Bijan Robinson is immediately evident when watching his games. For starters, he looks to scan the entire line of scrimmage from a horizontal standpoint. Once he sees the bubble or the weak area, Robinson looks to climb vertically as smooth as possible. To boot, he also does a tremendous job of keeping his eyes up and looking for additional opportunities down the field. You will rarely see him get his wires crossed in traffic. The same can be said about getting caught off guard by an incoming defender in the open field, at the same time.

Contact Balance

Simply put, Bijan Robinson can make defenders miss in a multitude of ways. His ability to jump cut through traffic, while keeping his footwork clean and balanced is exciting. Robinson will often look to set opponents up for false steps or bad angles, by adding in a lateral jab. The Texas product is also able to carry defenders on his back or on his hip for tough additional yardage. For example, Robinson had many moments where he was initially hit by a couple of defenders but was able to drive through contact and rack up some hidden yards.

Athleticism

The footwork and running style of Bijan Robinson is seemingly always in a fluid, smooth motion. There is not a lot of wonky or awkward steps. Therefore, Robinson can condense his frame and remain upright, when necessary. On the other hand, the running back has little questions about his change of direction skills. The tempo that Robinson runs with, along with that aforementioned balance, allows him to shift on dime at any moment. Once he flips his hips, opposing tacklers are often hanging on for dear life.

Ability On Passing Downs

As a pass catcher, Bijan Robinson has displayed soft and natural hands at the catch point. Even some of the more difficult passes to haul in are secured cleanly by Robinson at the running back position. Largely, he is used to running a variety of routes, both out of the backfield and from different areas near the line of scrimmage. As for his pass protection skills, Robinson has shown improvement in that area. His greatest gift there, is the strength and power in Robinson’s hands. Extending his arms consistently is still a work in progress.

Areas Of Improvement

Explosiveness/Long Speed

For as much as Bijan Robinson can break tackles and make defenders miss, I was left wanting more from the pace at which he runs at. That is especially true when running into the teeth of the defense. More power and explosiveness could do wonders for Robinson in between the tackles. With his history of being more patient, there could even be more chances to gain additional yards in the middle of the field. Finally, Bijan is not a slow running back, by any means. There are just some open field races that he is not going to be able to win when working laterally.

Ideal Role

Bijan Robinson projects as a three-down back at the NFL level. With his improvement as a pass protector and as a pass catcher, you can rely on Robinson in any situation. There are very few running backs who are bell-cow runners anymore in the NFL. But if anyone can carry the team on their back in all phases at the position, it is Bijan Robinson.

Potential Fits

Bijan Robinson is one of the best running back prospects in recent memory. But of course, it is always going to be difficult for teams to want to use a first-round pick on a running back. Assuming he still goes in the top half of the first round, Robinson could be a fit for the Atlanta Falcons. Arthur Smith loves to lean on the running game. Plus, Atlanta could take some pressure off of presumed starting quarterback Desmond Ridder.

Elsewhere, the Detroit Lions make sense. Detroit is already well-rounded with the running back stable of D’Andre Swift and David Montgomery. But with the weapons the Lions have in the passing game, Detroit could become even more dangerous and unpredictable with Bijan Robinson. Finally, the Los Angeles Chargers could make sense, if Austin Ekeler and the team cannot agree to a new contract extension.

Be on the lookout for more FPC NFL 2023 draft prospect profiles throughout the next month. For more great sports and NFL content, stay tuned to Full Press Coverage.

– Braden Holecek is the Kansas City Chiefs managing editor for Full Press Coverage. He covers the NFL. Like and follow on Follow @ebearcat9//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Follow @FPC_Chiefs//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js and Facebook.