Todd McShay thinks Bijan Robinson is as good as Saquon Barkley, has 'a little bit more to offer'

Former Texas running back Bijan Robinson is a bit of a draft conundrum. He’s comfortably one of the five or 10 best prospects in the 2023 NFL Draft, but he plays a position that is near the bottom of the totem pole in terms of draft value. He’s a Top 10 talent playing a position that doesn’t get drafted in the first round, often.

But ESPN draft analysts Mel Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay were on the same page about Robinson — despite clashing on a number of prospects, notably former Kentucky quarterback Will Levis. Both Kiper and McShay have Robinson headed to the Detroit Lions at No. 18 as of now.

“A kumbaya moment, Kiper, I don’t know how to react. Our guy Zay Flowers, we agree on Bijan to Detroit at 18. Listen, Bijan Robinson, I have him as the No. 2 overall player regardless of position. You go back to Saquon Barkley, he was drafted No. 2 in that draft. I think he was just as good, maybe has a little bit more to offer than Saquon. So one of the fascinating storylines to me in this draft is ‘Where does Bijan land?’ One of the elite, premiere talents, and you get down to 16, 17, all of a sudden at 18, Detroit was the first team where I said, ‘You know what, that actually makes sense.’ They could use help at running back, they could use an upgrade. And they might pull the trigger.”

Comparing Robinson to Barkley, one of the best college running backs in recent memory, is a lofty projection for McShay. But he’s not alone among draft analysts who see a special talent in Robinson.

Robinson is a smooth runner and his silky athleticism belies his explosion and ability to start and stop. He might be a tad smaller and a bit less explosive than Barkley, but Robinson makes up for that with his multifaceted ability on offense. As a pass catcher and runner, Robinson is simply one of the best offensive weapons in the entire 2023 draft class.

And if he doesn’t end up with the Lions, McShay has another potential pairing, and it’s a juicy one.

“I’ll give you one other thing though: The Dallas Cowboys are lurking. They’re just hanging around right now at 26. Pair him with Tony Pollard in that backfield, Dak Prescott and what he can do, that would be fascinating to me. Dallas wants to upgrade that offense around Dak, and in order to do that, with Zeke [Elliott] leaving, you need a guy who can be your bellcow so Pollard can do what he does best — that 15, 17 touch per game receiver and runner of the football. So, I think Dallas and Bijan could be an interesting marriage. In Texas, of course, too,” McShay said.