Steve Sarkisian opens up on Bijan Robinson's NFL success

Through six games this season, Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson has lived up to the hype that comes with being a first-round pick.

And not just any first-round pick — Robinson was the eighth overall selection in the 2023 NFL Draft, an anomaly in the present day. All Robinson has done is produce, as the 21-year-old has rushed for 401 yards on a healthy 5.0 yards per carry, to go along with 26 receptions for 189 yards and two touchdowns.

His instant impact in the NFL is no surprise to Texas head football coach Steve Sarkisian, who got a front row seat at watching Robinson carve up college football defenses for two years.

“It’s amazing,” Sarkisian said this week. “We have an idea as coaches of maybe how guys will translate to the NFL. It’s a little bit of a different game obviously, but his skill set is so unique, and when you can make people miss in a phone booth and then get to top speed, it doesn’t matter what league you’re in. He doesn’t lose that skill set that he has. And so, I think the one thing every time I’ve bumped into a couple scouts from the Falcons who have been at practices, they say the same thing I used to say for the last two years here. He’s a better person than he is a player. So Bijan is still being Bijan whether it’s off the field and/or on the field and I think that’s so exciting as ever.”

Bijan Robinson living up to high expectations with Falcons

Robinson was viewed as the most talented offensive player in this year’s NFL Draft following three highly-productive seasons with the Longhorns. He rushed for 3,410 yards and 33 touchdowns on 6.3 yards per carry. Robinson added 60 receptions for 805 yards and eight scores.

Coming into the NFL with high expectations, Robinson has certainly exceeded them thus far — just as Falcons head coach Arthur Smith thought he would.

“That’s what happens when you take someone high,” Smith said last month. “There are great expectations. When you make those investments, you have to make sure it’s the right person. You’ve got the right plan. So far, so good.”