ESPN draft expert reveals NFL comparison for Bijan Robinson

Bijan Robinson will likely be the highest-drafted running back in April’s draft, and whichever team ends up selecting the Texas tailback will be getting a player expected to have the skillset of New York Giants star running back Saquon Barkley, per ESPN draft analyst Matt Miller.

Miller broke down Robinson’s game, voicing high praise for the No. 1 running back in the draft. According to him, Robinson can do it all — and has proof to back it up. After all, the tape never lies.

“Robinson is the total package as a running back prospect. He plays with amazing patience but can also lower his shoulder with a 220-pound frame and create space for himself,” Miller wrote. “Robinson’s contact balance and vision in traffic are some of the best I’ve ever seen. He rushed for 1,580 rushing yards and 18 TDs this season, and he’s also a very good receiving threat out of the backfield (314 receiving yards). There are few players more talented than Robinson in this year’s class.”

The former Texas star leads a running back class littered with talent. Alabama‘s Jahmyr Gibbs, Auburn‘s Tank Bigsby, among others in this group have a real shot of carving out a good career for themselves. Leading the group says a lot about how NFL teams feel about Robinson’s abilities.

He’s the only back expected to be taken in the first round of Mel Kiper’s mock draft, where he’s set to be selected No. 26 overall to the Dallas Cowboys. If things don’t work out with Tony Pollard and Ezekiel Elliott in Dallas, Robinson is one hell of an insurance policy. Not to mention he’d be staying in the same state he played college in.

Still, that’s a lot of time for Robinson to stay on the board. Surely a team would want to take an instant-impact player like him on their team, right? We’ll just have to wait and see when the 2023 NFL Draft gets underway from Thursday, April 27 through Saturday, April 29 in Kansas City, Missouri.