NFL
By: Greg Rector
Bijan Robinson is going to be one of the most scrutinized players in the 2023 NFL Draft. The University of Texas running back is undoubtedly a tremendous talent. So much so that on more than one podcast and a few articles I have read many NFL teams already have him graded as their only true “ELITE” player in this draft class. one podcast put that number at 7 NFL teams who have Robinson as their only “ELITE” prospect. Don’t get your panties in a bunch all of you positional value folks. It simply means that when scouts do their work studying Robinson he scores very high in every category. That means he has the size and skills teams love along with his production on the field. “Trust the Tape” means putting his games and focusing on what he does on the field over his measurables. It means too though that those measurables are already at the high end.
The Production
2020
The Measurables
Robinson is 6′ tall and weighs around 215 to 220 lbs. Good size for the position. We won’t truly know the exact size unless Robinson goes to the NFL combine. Simple truth folks, colleges lie a lot when it comes to the exact size and other measurables. Robinson may forgo the draft combine as many players now do. Therefore his pro day will be the chance to get his height and weight. One thing that is happening as well with so many players is they announce for the draft and are then in a training regimen for the combine or pro days.
Don’t be shocked if he weighs less because that means he is trying to be as fast as possible for the drills like the 40-yard sprint. Speaking of that his reported time is 4.49 seconds again until everyone sees him do that don’t believe that number either. No one doubts his explosiveness so if he does the other drills like standing vertical jump and broad jump expect those numbers to be excellent along with his dash. We won’t see Robinson either at the showcase event of the process, he is not going to the Senior Bowl.
The Draft
Sorry, to all of you draft “experts” out there. Teams that won this past wild-card weekend all had over 100 yards rushing in their wins except the Bengals. The Niners’ offense begins and ends with the running game as do the Cowboys Eagles and many others. You can scream all you want that quarterbacks matter more or that corner and left tackles are more valuable all valid points. The potential to be this versatile of a contributor along with all the other factors teams look at means Bijan Robinson will be a first-round draft pick. Imagine you are the Cowboys for a moment. what if they decide to cut Ezekiel Elliott and also lose Tony Pollard in free agency?
It’s the first round and with the 26th pick, this type of talent is there for the taking? Go ahead and scream Zeke sucks, but remember he was also a two-time NFL rushing leader in 2016 and 2018 and if the league had not suspended him for 6 games his per-carry average would have projected he would have been ahead of Kareem Hunt in 2017 as well.
Someone will draft Bijan Robinson in round one, get over it. To the franchise that does so, good on you for ignoring what “experts” and the media believe. The NFL draft is for value and Robinson like any other player given that one ugly factor for every player, that being healthy could be in line to be a huge factor in a team’s success. Even if he is a first-round pick, the value of a dual-threat running back on a Super Bowl winner trumps traditional thinking.
As always find me on Twitter @GregsCowboys
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