Phidarian Mathis explains what Brian Robinson brings to the Commanders

The Washington Commanders have a roster loaded of players from the Alabama Crimson Tide. The franchise hasn’t been shy about selecting former Crimson Tide players for several years now and once again in the 2022 NFL Draft, Washington decided to pluck more talent from Tuscaloosa and further bolster their pipeline to Washington, D.C. The Commanders selected former Alabama defensive tackle Phidarian Mathis and running back Brian Robinson in this year’s draft.

Robinson was one of the most complete running backs in college football last year and he flew under the radar in the 2022 draft class, which is rare for an Alabama running back in the Nick Saban era. The Commanders just wrapped up their rookie minicamp for their 2022 draft class on May 5-7 and the former Alabama star already turned heads in practice. Nicknamed, “B-Rob”, he’s impressed many people thus far with his pass catching ability. One reporter asked his teammate, Phidarian Mathis, if he was surprised by Robinon’s ability to catch the ball out of the backfield.

“Yeah, I see that every day in practice. I ain’t surprised. You know, B-Rob [is] a great football player. And I can’t wait to see him add a lot of value to this team,” Mathis said. The Commanders now have a remarkable amount of depth at the running back position, with Antonio Gibson, J.D. McKissic, Jaret Patterson, and now Robinson.

The average career of an NFL running back is only two and a half seasons–so depth at the position is quite critical due to the high frequency of injuries. With Robinson, the Commanders now have four solid running backs that have a variety of skill sets that make them different from one another.

B-Rob is expected to take over as the team’s power running back, a position that was once held by former Washington Commander Peyton Barber. He’ll backup Antonio Gibson, while J.D. McKissic is projected to maintain his third down pass catching duties. The former Arkansas State standout was second on the team in catches last season, pulling in 43 catches for 397 receiving yards and two touchdowns. McKissic has very quietly carved out a role as one of the better pass-catching tailbacks in the league the past few years.

Brian Robinson was one of the more complete running backs in the class

In addition to shining in his final season with the Crimson Tide, Robinson impressed in a variety of drills at the 2022 Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama. He won running back of the week honors for the American team. The former Tide star showed off his excellent pass blocking ability in drills, shutting down former Georgia linebacker Channing Tindall on one play.

Robinson had a breakout season in the 2021-2022 campaign, surpassing 1,000 rushing yards for the first time in his five-year college career. His 1,343 yards on the ground led the Crimson Tide, while the running back also finished with 16 total touchdowns and 296 receiving yards. The Alabama native ended his Crimson Tide career with 2,704 total rushing yards and 29 total rushing touchdowns.

In joining the NFL ranks, Robinson becomes the 12th former Crimson Tide running back to get drafted in the National Football League, further establishing Nick Saban’s program as the nation’s preeminent running back factory.

On3’s Chandler Vessels also contributed to this article.