Todd McShay gives NFL comparison of Saquon Barkley for Bijan Robinson
Bijan Robinson is a very unique running back prospect. The 6’0, 222-pound rusher is a physical specimen and has shown it over his three seasons at Texas. However, as he prepares to potentially make the jump to the NFL, draft experts have provided a fairly accurate comparison for the Longhorn back.
In an NFL Draft article, Todd McShay compared Robinson to former Penn State and current New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley. It’s a common connection as, like McShay points out, the combination of size and elusiveness, pass-catching skills, and persona are very, very similar.
“Bijan Robinson to Saquon Barkley,” wrote McShay. ‘Both are 6-foot and 220-plus pounds. Both take tremendous care of their bodies. (They) excel at forcing missed tackles with an elite combination of shake and power. Both are outstanding pass catchers and very reliable in pass pro. And both bring energy on game day.”
Robinson just finished his junior campaign in Austin where he rushed for 1,580 yards and 18 touchdowns. He also caught 19 passes for 314 yards and two more touchdowns. His production is similar to Barkley’s third year with the Nittany Lions where he had 246 touches for 1,728 total yards and 19 touchdowns overall.
Robinson likely won’t go nearly as high as Barkley did as the Giants picked him second overall in the 2018 NFL Draft. Still, it’d be hard to imagine Robinson, a top running back prospect in whatever draft he enters, falling too far because of his talent as well as intangibles.
Steve Sarkisian gives uncertain update on Bijan Robinson’s bowl plans
As college bowl season approaches, so does the possibility of players that are NFL prospects opting out of their bowl games. No player on the Texas roster may be more of a lock to be selected in the 2023 NFL Draft than star running back Bijan Robinson. Head coach Steve Sarkisian was asked about the playing status of guys like Robinson and Roschon Johnson, who are likely factoring their health and future ahead of bowl season.
“I think all those things, when you talk about the players, who’s playing, who’s not, I think those are all things we have to work ourselves through,” Sarkisian said. “Bijan has a lot of things to work himself through, like do I leave to go to the NFL, do I not. Do I practice, do I not. Roschon, same thing.”
The Longhorns will face Washington in the Valero Alamo Bowl on December 29, and while prepping for the Huskies, Sarkisian and his coaching staff are also doing whatever they can to help prepare their players for their future.
“We work with our players kind of day to day, what do they need, what do they need from us to be the most productive players that they can be. Awesome human beings. These guys are unbelievable human beings. So we just try to support ’em the best we can,” Sarkisian said.
“Bijan, he loves the University of Texas. It’s not something like, Well, it’s kind of… No, he loves it. He loves this place. For him to decide do I leave early to go to the NFL or not, I mean, that is a tough decision. That’s heavy on anybody. So we try to help him, support him the best we can,” Sarkisian said.