The Atlanta Falcons bolstered their backfield with the No. 8 choose within the 2023 NFL Draft, choosing the nation’s prime working again from final 12 months, Bijan Robinson of the Texas Longhorns.
With that choose, the Falcons and head coach Arthur Smith are rolling with quarterback Desmond Ridder, who they chose final 12 months within the third spherical. In addition they added Taylor Heinicke to battle for the beginning position.
However the Falcons noticed how effectively their run recreation labored final season with Cordarrelle Patterson and Tyler Allgeier, amongst others, averaging the league’s third-most speeding yards per recreation.
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Bijan Robinson of Texas participates in a drill in the course of the NFL Mix at Lucas Oil Stadium March 5, 2023, in Indianapolis. (Stacy Revere/Getty Photographs)
Including Robinson will solely make that group significantly better.
Robinson’s expertise was put into numbers on the NFL Scouting Mix, the place he ran 4.46 seconds within the 40-yard sprint, jumped 37 inches within the vertical and lined 10 ft, 4 inches within the broad soar, which solidified what many scouts believed: He’s the highest working again within the class.
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Robinson is a mannequin of consistency, bettering every of his three seasons with the Longhorns. He led the best way his freshman 12 months with 703 yards and 4 touchdowns and completed his profession with 1,580 yards and 18 speeding scores in 12 video games final season.
He ran for 1,127 yards and 11 touchdowns his sophomore 12 months.
Bijan Robinson (5) of the Texas Longhorns breaks a deal with by Devin Lemear of the Baylor Bears within the fourth quarter at Darrell Okay Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium Nov. 25, 2022, in Austin, Texas. (Tim Warner/Getty Photographs)
Evaluators additionally love how effectively Robinson can block within the backfield, making him the prototypical every-down working again.
“The extra carries he will get, the extra harm he does,” a personnel exec for an NFC staff instructed NFL Community about Robinson. “I do know it’s not widespread, however I might draft him within the first spherical and simply get him the rock as a lot as I probably may. He’s a a lot more durable runner than Saquon (Barkley) was popping out.”
Bijan Robinson is launched in the course of the first spherical of the 2023 NFL Draft at Union Station April 27, 2023, in Kansas Metropolis, Mo. (David Eulitt/Getty Photographs)
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Robinson, a local of Tuscon, Arizona, will rapidly slot in as a dynamic offensive weapon for a Falcons offense that wants playmakers.
