Atlanta Falcons select Bijan Robinson in first round of 2023 NFL Draft

Former Texas Longhorns star running back Bijan Robinson will be taking his talents from Austin, Texas to Atlanta, as he was selected No. 8 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons, according to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer.

Robinson has been dominant in all three of his seasons with Texas, and will look to bring that same dominance to the Falcons this upcoming NFL season.

Robinson has run all the way up the record books his last three years at Texas, ending his career with the Longhorns with 3,410 rushing yards and 41 total touchdowns. His career rushing yards rank fourth all time in school history only behind Ricky Williams, Cedrick Benson, and Earl Campbell, who all played one more additional collegiate season than Robinson.

In 2022 he won the Doak Walker Award, given annually to the top running back in college football, and was a unanimous first-team All-American after rushing for a career high 1,580 yards and 18 touchdowns.

Robinson was a highly touted recruit out of high school, a five-star prospect ranked the No. 16 overall recruit and the No. 2 running back in the 2020 class according to On3’s Industry Recruiting Rankings. And as an NFL prospect he’s just as highly touted, regarded by many the top running back and one of the top players entering the 2023 NFL Draft for his rare combination of size, speed, strength, and versatility out of the backfield.

What NFL draft analysts are saying about Bijan Robinson

NFL.com analyst Greg Zierlein gave his take on Bijan Robinson, comparing him to Las Vegas Raiders running back Josh Jacobs who is fresh off of his third 1,000 yard rushing season in the NFL.

In both high school and college Robinson was a dominant do-it-all running back for his teams, and Zierlein believes that same skillset can translate to the next level.

“Full-menu back blending a smorgasbord of position-specific traits that allow him to affect games. Robinson is well-built with a compact lower half and pairs a low center of gravity with agile feet. There are elements of both fight and flight in his running style, but defenders can never be quite sure what they are going to get. He’s a capable inside/outside runner with unique footwork to stack moves and reset pathways, but can plow into tacklers at a moment’s notice using elite contact balance to keep the run rolling,” Zierlein said. “He might need to dial back efforts to search out big runs so frequently and take what is there a little more often to keep from getting bogged down. His pass-catching talent ensures the opportunity for Robinson to see a high number of touches. He has a chance to become one of the more productive runners in the league very quickly.”