A lot was made of former Texas running back Bijan Robinson going No. 8 overall to the Atlanta Falcons in the 2023 NFL Draft.
In today’s NFL, the running back position has been devalued in a big way. We saw that with the likes of Josh Jacobs and Saquon Barkley, among others, during the offseason.
But Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot firmly believed that his team got someone special in the form of the All-American.
Making his NFL preseason debut against the Cincinnati Bengals Friday night, Robinson showed us just how much of a freak he is.
Robinson’s first touch as a pro went for 12 yards as he made multiple Bengals defenders miss while displaying the field vision that we saw during the youngster’s days with the Longhorns. It was a special run.
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Later on that first drive, Robinson showed the pass-catching ability that was on full display during the pre-draft process.
This might seem like a simple play. But it really wasn’t. Robinson is turning up the field, expecting Desmond Ridder to lead him. Instead, the ball is thrown behind the running back. He makes the transition and is able to gain some positive yardage.
Bijan Robinson stats (2022): 1,580 rushing yards, 314 receiving yards, 1,894 total yards, 20 TD
Robinson was seen as a generational talent heading into the 2023 NFL Draft. In fact, some believed he was the most-talented player in the annual event. The rookie went for 26 yards on five touches in his first drive as a professional. Pretty awesome stuff.