'Not a Good Selection!' Mel Kiper Rips Falcons Drafting of Longhorns Bijan Robinson
There was never any doubt that Texas Longhorns running back Bijan Robinson would hear his name called in the first round of the NFL draft. The only question was how long would he have to wait to do so.
That question was answered fairly quickly, as the star running back didn't fall out of the top 10, going No. 8 overall to the Atlanta Falcons. While the allure of adding Robinson to a rushing attack 159.8 yards per game is undeniable, ESPN's Mel Kiper was not a fan of the pick.
"Look, Robinson is a tremendous prospect," Kiper wrote. "He might win Rookie of the Year in Arthur's Smith's offense. But the Falcons could get 90 percent of his production from (Tyler) Allgeier and a couple of Day 3 options.
"Smith said Thursday night that Robinson is 'a lot more than a running back,' but that doesn't make this a good selection. They could have gone with cornerback Christian Gonzalez or defensive tackle Jalen Carter or edge rusher Nolan Smith and gotten better value."
Kiper, of course, does raise a valid point about whether or not running back was the best value selection for the Falcons in the first round. That being said, Robinson was far and away the best running back in this class, and adding him to Atlanta's rushing attack is borderline unfair.
The reigning Doak Walker winner rushed for 1,580 yards and 18 touchdowns in his final season with the Longhorns while adding 19 receptions for 314 receiving yards and two more touchdowns through the air.
Robinson's ability to catch the ball out of the backfield and as a receiver in the slot makes him arguably the best weapon of this draft class, which made it easier to see why he was the pick for the Falcons at No. 8 overall.
With the ongoing debate of how valuable running backs are in the first round, the Falcons clearly viewed Robinson as worth it. Now, he'll form one of the NFL's best running back duos with Tyler Allgeier as the Falcons look to get back to the playoffs in 2023.
You can find Connor Zimmerlee on Twitter @Connorjz98
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