Mel Kiper Jr. details why Bijan Robinson could fall to late first, gives best fit with AFC contender

Bijan Robinson could be selected anywhere in the first round of April’s 2023 NFL Draft, according to ESPN’s NFL Draft expert Mel Kiper Jr.

The former Texas star is poised to be the first running back selected next month, and Kiper says he found the perfect spot for Robinson to land — in the AFC East with the Buffalo Bills at No. 27 overall.

“He got pushed down. I thought about putting him as early as No. 8 to Atlanta, 10 to Philly, 19 to Tampa, 21 to the Chargers, 26 to Dallas but here he is for the Buffalo Bills” Kiper said during his mock draft 3.0 special on ESPN. “They need something better than an average, so-so running back. They need a dynamic presence so Josh Allen doesn’t have to be superman for this Buffalo Bills offense. And they would finally have a guy in Bijan Robinson to finally take that pressure off of Josh Allen.”

Kiper could see Robinson falling all the way to the second or third round if Buffalo passes on him at No. 27, though he trusts it will happen. He also believes that if he’s on the board that late into night one, there shouldn’t be any debate on who the Bills would select.

The NFL Draft expert sees three qualities in Robinson that makes him stand out from the rest of the running backs in the draft — the ability to break tackles, his vision and his versatility in the passing game. He says these traits, paired with Josh Allen, make him perfect to take over as the main running back in Buffalo.

Contrary to Kiper, fellow ESPN analyst Robert Griffin III said that it would be a no-brainer for the Dallas Cowboys to take Robinson one spot ahead of them. After releasing former first-rounder Ezekiel Elliott as a cap casualty, the Cowboys have already traded for cornerback Stephon Gilmore and wide receiver Brandin Cooks this offseason as well.

RG3 calls those “win-now” moves, and Robinson would fit in perfectly alongside Tony Pollard in the Dallas backfield.

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 in the pro ranks. Leading the group says a lot about how NFL teams feel about Robinson’s abilities.

Robinson rushed for 1,580 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns this season, and he’s also a very good receiving threat out of the backfield with 314 receiving yards. His versatility is a trait any team is looking for in a young running back — something Kiper has noted with emphasis throughout the pre-draft process.

Regardless, Robinson will expect to hear his name called on night one when the 2023 NFL Draft gets underway from Thursday, April 27 through Saturday, April 29 in Kansas City, Missouri.