Bijan Robinson Rookie Profile King Fantasy Sports

Bijan Robinson - RB - Texas

When you think about generational talent in the 2023 NFL Draft Class, Bijan Robinson’s name should immediately come to mind. He’s been deemed the fantasy RB1 by most of the fantasy community and hasn’t even been drafted to an NFL Team yet. He was considered by many as the RB1 in fantasy before the 2022 season even started. He has elite tools at his disposal in all facets of the game, but will he live up to the hype?

Measurables

Height: 5′ 11″

Weight: 215 lbs

Age: 21

40-yard dash: 4.46s

3-cone drill: DNP

20-yard shuttle: DNP

Vertical Jump: 37″

Broad Jump: 10-4

Bench Press: DNP

*age is at the start of player’s rookie year

College Stats

Rushing & Receiving Table
RushingReceivingScrimmage
YearSchoolConfClassPosGAttYdsAvgTDRecYdsAvgTDPlaysYdsAvgTD
*2020TexasBig 12FRRB9867038.241519613.121018998.96
2021TexasBig 12SORB1019511275.8112629511.3422114226.415
*2022TexasBig 12JRRB1225815806.1181931416.5227718946.820
CareerTexas53934106.3336080513.4859942157.041
Provided by CFB at Sports Reference: View Original Table
Generated 2/24/2023.

Notable Headlines

Three years ago Bijan Robinson came out of high school as a high five-star recruit and the number one running back recruit in the nation, taking his talents to Austin, Texas for the Texas Longhorns. He already had good size at 6’0” and 200 lbs as a true freshman and was an immediate impact in the backfield from day one. He led the team in rushing yards with 703 yards, and then added 4 touchdowns, 15 receptions, 196 receiving yards, and 2 more receiving touchdowns in a relatively down year at Texas (7-3). The following year was Steve Sarkisian’s first year as the Longhorn’s head coach and Bijan was the only bright spot on the team. He was already pushing for the RB1 in this draft class, but this year cemented the thought that it was him and then everyone else behind. He excelled on the ground with his first 1,000+ yard rushing season (1,127) and 11 touchdowns. And once again he contributed through the air with 26 receptions, 295 yards, and 4 touchdowns. He earned his first First-team All-Big 12 title.

As the generational talent and defacto RB1 in the upcoming draft class, he followed up his impressive 2021 season with an even better 2022 season. This past year, as a true junior, he ran for 1,580 yards and 18 touchdowns and once again was a threat in the receiving game with 19 receptions, 314 yards, and 2 touchdowns. His tape versus Alabama was a master class in what happens when you commit to stopping Bijan on the ground – he gets his through the air just as well. He once again was awarded First-team All-Big 12 honors and, rightfully so, declared for the 2023 NFL Draft.

Scouting Report

Positives

There’s a good reason there is all this hype surrounding Bijan Robinson. He’s a complete player with a lot of elite skills. His vision and burst are top tier, not just for this class, but top tier compared to many classes in recent years. He is patient behind the line of scrimmage and seems to always find a lane to utilize his elite acceleration to burst through the opening. His sturdy base and a solid center of gravity allow him to change direction with ease, making defenders completely whiff on attempts to tackle him. Simply, you shouldn’t be able to move the way his prototypical frame suggests at 6’0” and 222 lbs. And when there is nothing there in front of him, he somehow consistently makes something out of nothing and gets plus yardage. Whether that is making defender(s) miss in the backfield, or keeping his legs churning through the line to pick up plus yardage as it always takes multiple defenders to bring him down and he always falls forward. His combination of lateral ability, vision, burst, and physicality make him an elite threat on the ground.

But it’s not just his game as a rusher that makes him an elite player at the running back position. In pass protection, he is a legitimate blocker and a stone wall to get through. He has reliable hands and consistently catches away from his body with soft hands. After the catch, he takes his rushing ability and utilizes it in the open field by making defenders miss and even showing off his long speed. He really improved his game as a pass catcher in 2022 and became more than just an outlet option, running legitimate routes and even showing the versatility to line up out wide.

Negatives

Are there any? Honestly, there are always things to mention here as these players are prospects coming out of college. But the negatives to Bijan’s game are super nitpicky. He could make improvements as a pass protector as this is always an area that most running backs need improvement as incoming rookies. And his long speed isn’t great as he’ll get caught by the faster DBs in the league. But nonetheless, he can create big plays and is a threat to take it to the house in the right situation.

Pre Draft Analysis

Expected Draft Capital- Round 1

Landing Spots

Running backs in the first round are much more uncommon in today’s NFL as it appears teams are catching on that running backs just isn’t the position that drives success. They are luxury picks that do provide value when you get truly elite talents, but otherwise are fairly replaceable outside of fantasy football. But Bijan is considered a generational talent, and rightfully so. Meaning that he is more than likely a first-round pick, but it would be surprising to see him taken in the early first.

The Philadelphia Eagles make a lot of sense. They are potentially losing a lot of players on that defense in free agency. But we’ll also have to see who they bring in during the offseason to make a good assessment of their needs because there really isn’t a lot from last year’s roster. Miles Sanders is one of those free agents and Kenny Gainwell doesn’t appear to be in favor with the Eagles to become a workhorse. Bijan could fit perfectly into that workhorse role and add just another dynamic dimension to this offense that is already filled with elite talent. The Ravens and Giants are both spots that make sense even though it is probably more likely that they take wide receivers in the first round. But with the depth of the position and assuming the top-end prospects at the position are gone, they could both wait it out to the second round. The same could be said for the running back position for both teams. Although, Bijan could be a perfect player to pair with Lamar Jackson assuming they resign or tag him. And he would be a walk-in replacement for Saquon Barkley to support Daniel Jones assuming they resign him.

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Image Credit: Jay Biggerstaff – USA TODAY Sports