Saban says 'people have a tremendous amount of respect for' stories like Brian Robinson

Brian Robinson likely won’t hear his name called during the first round of next month’s NFL draft. His predecessor, Najee Harris, was a Day 1 selection. So was Josh Jacobs in 2019. But more than likely, Robinson’s path to the NFL will mirror that of Damien Harris, who was a third-round pick back in that same draft as Jacobs.

The older Harris has made the most of his opportunities since getting to the league, however.

Last year, the now New England Patriot totaled over 1,000 yards, 929 of which came on the ground. He also scored 15 rushing touchdowns, which tied for second in the NFL behind star runner Jonathan Taylor. Now, we’re expecting Robinson to eventually have a similar opportunity to prove his worth.

In all likelihood, he’ll either go late on Day 2 (third round) or early on Day 3 (fourth round). That’s still a valuable slot to go in if you’re a running back. The days of players such as former Alabama standout Trent Richardson getting drafted No. 3 overall are fewer and farther between.

Nowadays, it’s just about getting — and sticking — on a roster.

If there’s one thing we know about Robinson from his time at Alabama, it’s his resiliency and willingness to stand in and overcome oncoming adversity. Head coach Nick Saban said as much of his now-former running back during the Crimson Tide’s Pro Day on Wednesday.

“I always say that people have resiliency, which means they have persistency, they can overcome adversity, they don’t get frustrated, they learn from their failings. These are all things that are critical to development.,” Saban told reporters. “And I think that Brian Robinson, as Mac Jones was last year, is a great example of a guy who kept his head down, kept working, showed great resiliency and perseverance to continue to work on trying to improve. Whether it was his speed, his knowledge of the game, his hands. Whatever it was to make himself a better player to where he had a great year this year and was very productive and now has an opportunity to play at the next level.

“So, I think those are great stories to be told to most college players. That stories like this, people have a tremendous amount of respect for. Guys that showed an ability to overcome adversity to be able to have success. It’s hard to be a great competitor if you can’t overcome adversity.”

During his time at Alabama, Robinson was forced to overcome a lot of adversity.

In his freshman season, the Tuscaloosa native was fifth on the depth chart behind four future NFL running backs in Harris, Jacobs, Najee and Bo Scarbrough. As a sophomore in 2018, it was a similar story with only Scarbrough moving on to the next level. Then in 2019 and 2020, Alabama gave Najee a lion’s share of the workload rather than taking a committee approach.

Here’s what the distribution of touches looked like during that two-year stretch:

• Najee Harris: 530 touches (460 carries, 70 receptions)
• Brian Robinson: 204 touches (187 carries, 17 receptions)

Robinson had already played in 11 games during his freshman season in 2017, so he wasn’t supposed to have eligibility left in 2021. Fortunately for him, the extra year of eligibility due to the pandemic gave him the opportunity to return as Alabama’s lead back.

In the end, Robinson maximized that opportunity.

Last season, he was given 306 touches (271 carries, 35 receptions), a significant increase from his 102-touch average from the two years prior. He turned those added opportunities into 1,639 total yards of offense (1,343 rushing, 296 receiving) and 16 touchdowns for the Crimson Tide.

More importantly, Robinson shows a willingness to do the little things such as pass protection.

Despite playing injured against Georgia in the SEC Championship Game, he put his body on the line on multiple occasions, giving Bryce Young just enough time to get the football off. That’s another quality that’s going to help Robinson’s draft stock in the eyes of NFL decision-makers.

In fact, it could be what helps him slip into the early part of Day 2 (second round).

Robinson was a productive player on the field and an influential leader off of it. Now, he’s simply waiting on his opportunity to apply that winning mentality on the NFL level. For whichever team drafts him, expect a guy who won’t shy away when the going gets tough.